Lansdale Man Charged After Wild Airport Incident Diverts Landings

BERN TOWNSHIP, PA — An intoxicated Lansdale man was arrested this week after a causing a series of incidents at Reading Regional Airport which led to landings being temporarily diverted, police said.

The situation began at around 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Police were told that a man was rolling on the grass and jumping in front of vehicles in Bern Township, on Route 183 near the airport.

The man, Lansdale's Norman J. Lee, 38, fled when police arrived, climbing over a 10-foot high barbed wire fence near Millennium Aviation, authorities said.

He then climbed into an idling and unlocked snow plow that was being readied for the coming snowstorm, and sped away into a restricted section of the airport grounds, according to police.

Police immediately notified air control, who diverted landings. One inbound aircraft had to make a "last minute maneuver" to avoid landing while the chase for Lee was ongoing, officials said.

The truck Lee was driving became stuck in the grass as the plow was lowered, and Lee then fled on foot toward a fence at the southern end of the airport, police said. That's where officers caught up with him, describing him as "violent" and "obviously under the influence of narcotics."

Lee faces counts of theft of a motor vehicle, defiant trespass, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest. After spitting in the face of a deputy while receiving medical treatment, police also charged Lee with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.

Bail was set at $100,000, and Lee was booked at Berks County Jail. A preliminary hearing is forthcoming.