A man drove a black Cadillac SUV into the Evans Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport, later telling police what he had set out to do. He said he was there to “meet Tom Cruise and save his dad,” though, according to the Wayne County Airport Authority, he did not clarify if he was out to save his father or to protect the actor’s father from whatever danger he thought was headed his way.
The crash happened at about 9:30 a.m. when the driver went the wrong way down Rogell Drive, heading north in a southbound lane. He drove slowly between the barriers just outside the terminal before hitting the front door. The SUV came to a stop just before reaching a security checkpoint, reports Brobible.
The impact knocked the metal doors off their hinges and sent glass flying. Tadarial Sturdivant, the senior vice president of emergency and support services at the Wayne County Airport Authority, said the driver seemed “very disoriented” when officers arrived, and that the man’s mental state was being examined.
Police found no weapons and no sign the driver meant to harm anyone
Police took the man into custody at around 9:40 a.m. and brought him to a hospital shortly after. Officers searched the vehicle and the driver for explosives or weapons, but found none. They also said there was no evidence the driver meant to hurt anyone during the event.
Injuries were kept to a minimum. Only one woman had a minor leg injury while trying to get out of the way of the SUV. She apparently chose to skip medical care and kept moving so she could catch her flight.
Another traveler got caught up in the chaos and passed a security checkpoint without being screened. Sturdivant said the passenger was clearly startled when the car crashed into the terminal, so he dropped his belongings and rushed into the checkpoint. Police spoke with that traveler and let him go without a citation, since it was clear he was only trying to get away from the crash site.
According to the Detroit Free Press, this is the second time this year that a driver has crashed into a terminal at the airport. In January, a different man drove a sedan into the Detroit airport terminal before being arrested. People passing the damaged terminal, including Mary Teneyuque of Saginaw, were left wondering how something like this could happen again.
The Wayne County Airport Authority confirmed that the vehicle was driven over the curb and through a gap between the barriers meant to protect the doorways. The area around the crash was temporarily shut down while crews handled the aftermath.
Published: Jun 3, 2026 11:14 am