Frontier Airlines jet strikes person walking on runway at Denver International Airport: Officials
A Frontier Airlines Airbus A320neo plane, owned by the Bank of Utah Trustee, taxis to a gate at Denver International Airport (DEN) on March 23, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — A Frontier Airlines flight taking off for Los Angeles from Denver International Airport on Friday night struck an individual walking on a runway, according to the airline and airport officials.
The incident occurred shortly after 11:00 p.m. local time on Runway 17L, the airline said in a statement early Saturday. There were 224 passengers and 7 crew members on board, Frontier said.
The person struck was at least partially consumed by one of the engines, an official confirmed to ABC News, causing a brief engine fire.
According to air traffic control audio obtained by ABC News, pilots reported an engine fire and smoke inside the aircraft following the incident.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday the victim had breached airport security, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence and ran onto the runway.
The person was struck by the plane during takeoff at high speed, Duffy said.
Preliminary reports are that 12 were injured and five were taken the hospital, according to the secretary.
“Emergency response and investigation are ongoing,” the Denver International Airport said earlier. “The NTSB has been notified. Runway 17L will remain closed while the investigation is conducted.”
A source briefed on the incident told ABC News that airport security was inspecting the east perimeter fence on Saturday morning for gaps and the person struck did not appear to be connected to the work occurring on a parallel runway.
“We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities,” Frontier Airlines said. “We are deeply saddened by this event.”
Local law enforcement handles airport security and is investigating the breach with support from the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration, Duffy said.
The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office released this image of a man in connection with a homicide, Feb. 2, 2026, in rural Momence near the Illinois/Indiana border. (Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office)
(KANKAKEE COUNTY, Ill.) — A man has been arrested in the death of a bar owner who was fatally shot Monday morning near the Illinois-Indiana state border.
Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was arrested Tuesday in Indiana as he was exiting his residence, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office.
Burkes is now being held in Indiana and is awaiting extradition to Illinois, where he will face charges, authorities said.
Burkes is accused of killing Courtney Drysdale, 30, while she was preparing to open the bar just before 11 a.m., when a suspect entered the bar, brandished a firearm and demanded money from the cash register, according to the sheriff’s office.
Despite Drysdale’s cooperation, the suspect allegedly shot her twice “execution style,” Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said at a press conference Tuesday.
Before fleeing, the suspect attempted to remove what he believed was a digital recording device from a wall, but investigators were able to recover video evidence, Downey said.
“This type of violent behavior has no place in our society, and I am extremely appreciative of the overwhelming support we received from the public, the media as well as our partners in the criminal justice system near and far,” Downey said in a statement after the arrest.
“I want to praise, not only the extraordinary efforts of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force, the FBI, the US Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Hammond Police Department on this quick and peaceful apprehension, but I want to commend the community-at-large for coming together and providing quantities of tips and information that ultimately led to this swift arrest,” said Downey.
Booking photo of Renee Lambert, 34, who was arrested, May 2, 2026, in Fort Myers, Florida, after she allegedly ran onto a football field and assaulted a child during a Pop Warner football game, according to police. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
(FORT MYERS, Fla.) — A Florida mother was arrested after police alleged she charged onto a football field over the weekend and repeatedly kicked a 13-year-old player during a youth football game brawl.
The woman, 34-year-old Renee Lambert, was arrested on Saturday on charges of child abuse without great bodily harm and resisting an officer without violence, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident unfolded on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Park in Fort Myers during a Southwest Florida Panthers Youth Football game, according to the sheriff’s office and the league’s president.
During the game, an on-field fight broke out between players, authorities said. As coaches attempted to break up the fight, bystander video captured Lambert — who had been cheering on her son’s team, the Falcons — rushing onto the field. The footage appeared to show her kicking the child on the opposing team while he was on the ground, officials said.
“Witnesses stated that after an incident on the field with the youth players fighting, some parents came onto the field to intervene,” according to a probable cause statement released by the sheriff’s office. “A witness reported seeing the adult female kick a juvenile male multiple times.”
At least two on-duty sheriff’s deputies were at the park patrolling when the altercation occurred, according to the probable cause statement.
The sheriff’s department released body-camera video of deputies detaining Lambert near a concession stand after witnesses pointed her out.
Lambert allegedly became “confrontational” while speaking with deputies, according to the statement.
“Lambert refused to listen and was getting agitated, prompting deputies to give her lawful orders to comply with being handcuffed, at which time, Lambert pushed and pulled away from deputies, refusing to give her hands as they attempted to handcuff her,” the statement alleges.
She was eventually detained and placed in a patrol car, according to the statement.
Child welfare officials were notified because Lambert’s children were present during the incident.
Deputies located the player whom Lambert allegedly kicked, and the alleged victim’s mother signed a document expressing a “desire to prosecute,” according to the statement.
The victim told deputies that he was kicked in the leg, but no visible injuries were detected, according to the sheriff’s office.
ABC News has not been able to reach Lambert for comment.
In the body-camera video, Lambert complained that the player struck her first with his helmet.
“I’m the one who got hit,” Lambert is heard telling a deputy in the body camera footage and asking why the deputies were “mad” at her.
“I’m mad at an adult for attacking a kid,” one of the deputies is heard replying to Lambert in the footage.
The sheriff’s office said they have found no evidence to support Lambert’s claim that she was struck during the altercation.
Lambert complained of head pain following her arrest and she was taken to a hospital to be examined before she was booked at the Lee County Jail, according to the probable cause statement.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told ABC affiliate station WZVN in Naples that “it’s sad” such violence occurred at a youth football game.
“We need to have law and order. We need to protect everyone,” Marceno said. “As sheriff, I’m not going to tolerate it.”
Jose Davila, president of Southwest Florida Panthers Youth Football, released a statement to WZVN, saying, “We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior.”
“One moment does not define the character, values, or integrity of the programs involved,” Davila said. “We want to be very clear, one bad apple does not define who the Fort Myers Falcons are.”
Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William N. McCasland. (U.S. Air Force)
(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) — The FBI is assisting a local sheriff’s office in the search for a missing retired Air Force general who disappeared from his home in late February.
Retired Maj. Gen. William N. “Neil” McCasland held a number of “space research, acquisition and operations roles within the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office” while enlisted, according to the Air Force. The roles included director-level positions at the Pentagon, as well as commanding the Phillips Research Site of Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, according to the Air Force.
McCasland, 68, left his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home on February 27 and hasn’t been seen since, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
“Due to his background and established partnerships, BCSO is coordinating closely with multiple agencies, including the FBI Albuquerque Field Office,” the sheriff’s office said, adding in a subsequent update that they “have so far uncovered no evidence of foul play.”
McCasland is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 160 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes. He’s believed to have left his home on foot, the BCSO said.
“[D]espite the collective efforts of law enforcement and the community, we still do not know what happened to Neil after he left home on February 27,” the BCSO added.
“Our priority is finding Mr. McCasland safely,” Sheriff John Allen said. “We’re asking the public to help by checking and preserving any security camera footage from the area and reporting any information immediately.”
