Formal charges filed in case of SUV on Pa. runway
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A man accused of crashing through a fence at the Philadelphia airport and speeding down a runway has been charged by federal authorities with disrupting air traffic and endangering airport safety.
Authorities says 24-year-old Kenneth Mazik of the Philadelphia suburb of Chadds Ford drove his Jeep through a locked airport gate and drove down a runway at speeds of more than 100 mph before being surrounded and apprehended.
The March 1 incident caused pilots and air-traffic controllers to scramble to avoid the vehicle, affecting dozens of flights.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In announcing the charges Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger said Mazik faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
A call to Mazik's attorney was not immediately returned. But he has said Mazik was having irrational thoughts that people were chasing him.