Bryan J. Parker of Holly Hill, Florida, had what can only be described as the most chaotic Wednesday afternoon in recent aviation history.
The 58-year-old allegedly drove his blue Ford Mustang through a locked gate at Daytona Beach International Airport around 4:23 p.m., made a beeline for the taxiway, nearly clipped a plane that was actively taxiing, and then spent the next several minutes attempting to board not one, not two, but multiple aircraft. On foot. While intoxicated.
Body camera footage released by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office captured Parker sitting on the ground, handcuffed, and looking like a man who had completely misplaced his Wednesday. When a deputy asked him what happened, Parker offered the most Florida answer possible: “I don’t remember.”
To be fair to him, that tracks.
From AA Meeting to Airport Runway: A Timeline Nobody Asked For
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According to the body cam footage, Parker told deputies he had been at home, then went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and somehow, somewhere in between those two events, managed to consume alcohol and drugs. He also helpfully summarized his own situation for investigators: “I crashed my car.”
The Mustang punched through a locked gate and headed toward the section of the airport used by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, one of the most respected aviation schools in the country. Embry-Riddle confirmed the incident and said its safety officers “responded immediately,” which is the polite institutional way of saying someone came sprinting out of a building.
Parker allegedly exited the car and attempted to board an occupied aircraft, which did not work out for him. He then pivoted to two unoccupied planes and briefly climbed inside both. At some point during all of this, airport authorities noted he was also charged with indecent exposure, so apparently clothes became optional somewhere between the taxiway and the second plane.
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Man drives Mustang onto the taxiway at Daytona Beach International Airport and tries to hijack an Embry-Riddle aircraft 3/25. pic.twitter.com/y1yfeswVzj
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) March 26, 2026
And Then It Somehow Got Even More Chaotic
An airport operations technician eventually chased him down, physically removed him from a plane, and sat him on the tailgate of his truck like a misbehaving golden retriever. Parker then jumped off the tailgate and ran toward another aircraft, because if you are going to commit to a bit, you really commit. He was apprehended again and handcuffed for the final time.
The airport confirmed that regular operations were not impacted, which says a lot about either the efficiency of airport staff or the general chaos Florida has normalized everyone into handling.
Parker now faces charges including attempted aircraft piracy, burglary of a conveyance, felony trespass, indecent exposure, criminal mischief, DUI with damage, and refusal to submit to DUI testing. He was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail.
For Mustang owners everywhere, this is yet another entry in a long and storied tradition of the car making headlines for all the wrong reasons. At least this time it wasn’t a Cars and Coffee exit.