Cleveland Man Charged with Carjacking, Illegally Entering Airport Runway, and Damaging Radar Facility

CLEVELAND  – A Cleveland man was charged today in a six-count indictment with intentionally damaging a Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) radar facility, carjacking two vehicles, and using one to breach a gate and illegally enter the Hopkins airport runway.

Isaac Woolley, 26, was officially charged in the indictment with one count of entering aircraft or an airport area in violation of security requirements, one count of violence at international airports, two counts of destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities, and two counts of carjacking.

According to court documents, on Nov 23. 2022, the defendant unlawfully entered a secure area maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and caused damage to the main CLE radar antenna tower.  As a result, court documents state that the primary radar system utilized by the FAA to monitor civilian and commercial air traffic for CLE was inoperable for a period of time.

Later that day, the defendant is accused of stealing a vehicle from a victim in Fairview Park, Ohio, and using it to breach the gate at CLE.  Law enforcement authorities responded to the incident and then arrested the defendant.  Court documents state that due to the defendant’s alleged actions, a decision was made by airport personnel to shut down the airport runway and temporarily suspend operations.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum; in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

This case was investigated by the Cleveland Division of the FBI, Fairview Park Police Department, Cleveland Division of Police, and the Brookpark Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian S. Deckert and Daniel J. Riedl.