A Frontier Airlines Airbus A320neo plane, owned by the Bank of Utah Trustee, taxis to a gate at Denver International Airport on March 23, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. (Al Drago / Getty Images)
By Bryan Chai May 13, 2026 at 5:00am
An airport trespasser gaining posthumous notoriety for his grisly demise apparently had a notorious past well before his brush with virality.
On Friday, Denver International Airport was unceremoniously thrust into the spotlight when a man walked in front of a Frontier Airlines plane.
According to KKTV, the man was identified as 41-year-old Michael Mott, who died after he was sucked into one of the engines of an Airbus A-321neo.
His cause of death was officially determined to be multiple blunt and sharp force injuries.
The bizarre nature of Mott’s death captured national attention for obvious reasons, but it was ultimately ruled a suicide, according to KTBC-TV anchor Alec Nolan, who also shared some video aftermath of Mott’s decision:
The man who was horrifically mangled by a jet engine after stepping in front of a Frontier Airlines plane at Denver International Airport on Friday died by suicide, authorities revealed Tuesday.
Michael Mott, 41, was seeking to end his life when he calmly walked across the… pic.twitter.com/w1JGAFA7kW
— Alec Nolan (@AlecOnFOX7) May 12, 2026
On Tuesday, however, the New York Post added a whole new dimension to this situation by reporting that Mott actually had quite the extensive rap sheet.
The outlet reports that Mott had over 20 arrests in Colorado dating back to 2002.
(One of the charges included attempted murder.)
Most recently — about a month before the airport incident — Mott had been arrested for felony trespassing.
The New York Post reported: “It wasn’t immediately clear why the Pueblo-native was walking free after he was nabbed on April 10 for first-degree trespassing and damaging property at a Colorado Springs dwelling, then resisting arrest when cops arrived.”
Denver airport trespasser Michael Mott’s criminal past revealed, chilling mugshots emerge after he was mangled by jet engine https://t.co/pxmaTj8kjF pic.twitter.com/t9HC0ALgf5
— New York Post (@nypost) May 12, 2026
Mott was reportedly homeless at the time of that felony trespassing incident.
As to how Mott trespassed into Denver International Airport, it appears some local fauna may have inadvertently helped him get past security sensors.
“Last Friday night, the ground detection sensors set off an alarm at this location at 11:10,” airport CEO Phil Washington said, per KKTV. “DEN’s operator on duty reviewed the alarm and identified a herd of deer just outside of the perimeter fence, very near to where the incident occurred.
“They did not initially see the trespasser. The camera view was alternating between the wildlife and the individual. There are some ditches in the area, so the person was out of view for a bit as well.”
“And then just minutes later, we were alerted by the FAA of the person being hit.”
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Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.
Birthplace
Hawaii
Education
Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, Korean
Topics of Expertise
Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech
