Two DC Airport Workers Arrested Over Plane Crash Footage
Two employees working at the airport have been taken into custody for their alleged involvement in the unauthorized release of video footage related to last week’s tragic plane crash over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., officials announced.
The leaked footage, which captures the moment of impact between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines commercial jet, was obtained by CNN, according to WTTG-TV.
Mohamed Lamine Mbengue, 21, a resident of Rockville, Maryland, was arrested on Friday and faces a charge of computer trespass, the report states.
Jonathan Savoy, 45, from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was arrested on Sunday and charged with the same offense.
Both individuals are employed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, USA Today reported.
According to WTOP, Mbengue was released from the Arlington County Adult Detention Center on his own recognizance.
Savoy, on the other hand, was issued a summons and released by a magistrate.
Mbengue was originally scheduled for a court appearance on Monday, but the hearing has been postponed.
NEW: Two airport employees arrested for leaking the video footage of the D.C. collision last week to CNN.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 4, 2025
67 people are deceased because people didn't do their jobs right and they're arresting people who shared a video?
Two Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority… pic.twitter.com/1fzSpuPimC
At this time, Savoy’s court date remains unclear.
CNN aired the footage on Friday, describing it as “surveillance video from the airport.”
During the broadcast, CNN’s Kate Bolduan noted that the network had obtained exclusive footage, which offered “a more direct angle and vantage point” of the in-air collision.
WTOP cited a statement from law enforcement, which said the two airport workers were “charged in connection with making an unauthorized copy of Airports Authority records.”
Under Virginia law, computer trespass is categorized as a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The crash resulted in the deaths of 67 people, marking the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States in more than two decades, according to USA Today.
Among the victims were three individuals aboard the Army helicopter.
The remaining 64 passengers were on the jetliner, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was approaching its destination at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.