‘Inebriated’ man, cross-dressed man jump airport fences in Newark, Phoenix

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Anyone who climbs a high-security fence at an airport and scurries onto a runway would have to be drunk, on drugs or desperate, one might think.

Two men -- at two separate airports in Newark, New Jersey, and Phoenix, Arizona -- did just that on Christmas day.

One showed "indications of possible drug and alcohol impairment." The other was wearing woman's clothing and was not interested in anything at the airport -- instead he was seeking safety from someone who frightened him, police said.

Both men were charged with trespassing and released.

The breach at Newark exposed a failure of a $100 million system designed to protect New York City area airports. The Phoenix fence hop was the fifth in a decade at that airport, CNN affiliate KPHO reported.

Fleeing in woman's clothing

When Siyah Bryant, 24, allegedly mounted the barrier at Newark Liberty International Airport, it went unnoticed for a day. On Thursday, a review of security camera footage revealed his ascent, according to Port Authority police.

The cross-dressed suspect then ran across two runways to get to Terminal C, two police sources said. Nobody saw it, but he was literally on the screen at the time.

The security apparatus in the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) made by Raytheon Co. combines radar with video cameras, motion detectors and "smart" fencing, according to the maker's website.

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'Inebriated' man, cross-dressed man jump airport fences in Newark, Phoenix