Men impersonate AZ Troopers at Sky Harbor International Airport
PHOENIX AZ Oct 28 2019 — Two men have been arrested for allegedly impersonating DPS troopers to attempt to enter the airfield at Sky Harbor International Airport.
According to court paperwork, around 10 p.m. on October 21, two men followed a Phoenix police vehicle “through a secured gate and onto the airfield area” at Sky Harbor.
Phoenix police have since said that the men did not actually enter the airfield but were stopped in a secured area beforehand.
Paperwork shows the officer confronted the men, later identified as Joshua Ryan Heisler, 27 and Anthony Garcia 26, and commanded them to “exit the airfield area.”
Court records show that Heisler told the officer that he and Garcia were DPS K-9 sergeants. However, police say neither of them could provide legitimate credentials.
Police say they found a Glock Airsoft style gun in Heisler’s pocket and another one in his backpack.
Heisler also allegedly told police that he was flying to Flagstaff in a private jet.
Garcia reportedly told police that Heisler was his boyfriend, and had a lot of money.
He believed they were flying on a private plane to Flagstaff and Disneyland.
Garcia said he was following Heisler and assumed he knew where he was going.
They both have been charged with criminal trespassing and impersonating a peace officer.
A spokesperson for Sky Harbor provided the following statement regarding airport security:
“Sky Harbor has multiple layers of security. Some are obvious, such as security and airport staff along with Police patrolling the grounds around the clock. We have additional security tools that we cannot discuss because they are considered Security Sensitive Information but we are always looking for ways to improve our security.”
