SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Seventy-eight miles off the coast of San Diego is San Clemente Island, and the Navy said an unwanted visitor breached government property Sunday evening when he landed a plane on that piece of land.
The island is owned by the U.S. Navy and is managed by Naval Base Coronado.
“It just seems to me like that would be a security breach,” said Bob Lawrence, a reporter who covered the military for decades for ABC 10News.
The Navy said they put the island on lockdown after finding the man’s plane at around 7 p.m. At some point, the man stole one of their trucks and began driving it around the property.
“To have a civilian fly onto it and do whatever, that’s a bit of a shock,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence flew to San Clemente Island with the Navy in 2013 to report on their ecological preservation of the land. But the space is primarily used for Navy SEAL and Marine training and is not accessible to the public.
“Obviously, this guy either had a plan or was a little ‘cuckoo’ to go out there and do that kind of thing. You just don't go onto a Navy base and take a vehicle,” Lawrence said.
Naval security teams waited until daylight Monday to search for the man. The Navy said they apprehended him at around 10 a.m., questioned him, and then escorted him off the island.
“I'm guessing the guy knew what he was doing. Most of the vehicles have on them ‘Navy property,’ so there’s no doubt,” said Earl Wederbrook, a retired Marine colonel.
Wederbrook, who used to train near the island, added, “The airspace around San Clemente is not restricted, but it's inside a warning zone, it's clearly marked on a map.”
Wederbrook showed ABC 10News a flight map that he said most pilots have access to. A line around the island indicates that pilots should avoid the area.
When you zoom in, there's a warning stating that this is a national defense operating area, which may be hazardous to non-military aircraft.
“If somebody just lands there because they want to land there, that's a violation of many different rules and regulations,” Wederbrook said.
The Navy said this man is a repeat offender and did the same thing in October 2023.
Back then, they got a restraining order that was supposed to prevent him from coming onto the island.
The Navy had to release him after two days because they are not a law enforcement agency.
ABC 10News learned the Navy plans to take further legal action against him.
