Officials arrested two airport employees after they reportedly leaked video of last week’s tragic midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in D.C.
Both employees of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) are charged in connection with making an unauthorized copy of Airports Authority records, MWAA spokesperson Rob Yingling told USA TODAY Tuesday morning.
Mohamed Lamine Mbengue, 21, of Rockville, Maryland, was charged with computer trespass Friday, Yingling said.
The charge is a misdemeanor, according to court records.
Mbengue was booked into the Arlington County Adult Detention Center and released on his own recognizance, officials said.
Following further police investigation, Yingling said, Jonathan Savoy, 45, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was charged with computer trespass on Sunday.
Yingling said Savoy was released on a summons by a magistrate assigned to the case.
Cause of deadly mid-air collision remains under investigation
Airport Authority officials did not specify how the footage was obtained or distributed but the viral video aired by news outlets shows the moment an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided.
The crash killed 67 people in the deadliest air disaster in more than two decades.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Airport employee set to appear in court
Arlington County General District Court records show Mbengue was slated to be arraigned on the charge Monday, but the hearing was continued. A future arraignment date had not been set as of Tuesday.
A court clerk told USA TODAY an attorney of record was not listed on file for Mbengue Tuesday and he has until May 2 to prove he has obtained a lawyer.
It was not immediately known when Savoy was due in court, or whether he had obtained an attorney in his case.
