…Five Passengers Taken For “Joy Ride”

Moloney told reporters that five people who flew on the plane from St. Augustine all contacted police and were interviewed. None were charged because they were apparently unaware the plane had been stolen. “They were just enjoying the ride,” Moloney said. He said all indications are that the theft was “just a joyride.” Wolcott is apparently a familiar face around the airport and may have worked part time at some airport businesses. “This is such an odd occurrence, I wouldn’t even want to speculate why someone would do this,” Gwinnett Airport Manager Matt Smith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The theft was shrouded in mystery for two days while investigators pieced their case together. Inevitably, some media were playing up the security angle but even the Transportation Security Administration was downplaying it. TSA spokesman Chris White told the Gwinnett Daily Post that it’s working with the plane’s owner to review the company’s security plan. Clearly, the TSA doesn’t consider this a watershed incident. “At this time, TSA does not see a significant credible risk to national security in general aviation,” White said.