Naperville Man Charged In FAA Arson Left Suicidal Facebook Message, FBI Says

Photo credit: ABC-7 News Video

A contract employee who allegedly set the FAA navigation facility on fire in Aurora in a bizarre suicide attempt left an incriminating message on Facebook that he was going to “smoke this blunt and move on,” according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Friday afternoon.

Brian Howard, 36, of Naperville, is facing a felony charge of destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities in the pre-dawn fire, the FBI announced.

According to the complaint, Harris entered the air traffic facility located at 619 West Indian Trail in Aurora around 5:06 a.m. Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration facility is in charge of high altitude flights for Illinois, Indiana and parts of Ohio.

Surveillance video showed Howard dragging a black, hard-sided roller board suitcase, the complaint said. Around 5:36 a.m., about 30 minutes after Howard entered the air traffic facility, a concerned relative saw a message that appeared on Howard’s Facebook page containing a reference to ZAU, the three-letter call number for the facility, the FBI alleged.

The relative forwarded the message to Naperville police, who then forwarded it to Aurora police. The message in part, included in the criminal complaint, stated:

“Take a hard look in the mirror, I have. And this is why I am about to take out ZAU and my life. April, Pop, love you guys and I am sorry. Leaving you with a big mess. Do your best to move on quickly from me please. Feel like I give s--- for the first time in a long time again … but not for too long (haha!) So I’m going to smoke this blunt and move on, take care everyone.”

At 5:42 a.m., someone at the control center called 911 to report a fire at the facility. When the Aurora Fire Department arrived, two fire department paramedics entered the basement of the control center where the smoke was heaviest.

Noticing a trail of blood on the floor, the first responders followed the blood to an area where a floor panel appeared to have been pulled away, exposing telecommunications and other wires, according to the complaint. FBI investigators also said that the paramedic observed a gas can on the floor next to where the panel had been pulled away, towels that appeared to have been burned, and the black roller suitcase.

The first responders continued to follow the blood trail spotting a knife and lighter on the floor, and another knife and more blood, the complaint said.

Encountering a pair of legs sticking out from under a table, the FBI said that a man later identified in the complaint as Howard, was attempting to slice his throat with another knife. The paramedic told agents that he also observed cut wounds on Howard’s arms.

As paramedics pulled the knife out of Howard’s hands and started to treat him, Howard allegedly told them to leave him alone.

The injured Howard was removed from the air traffic control facility and brought to a hospital in Aurora, where he remains hospitalized, the FBI said.

The fire created a big radar hole in the Midwest, effectively shutting down O’Hare and Midway Airports that canceled over 1,500 flights and delayed more than 900. Airlines had resumed some flights by the afternoon.

Aurora Police Chief Gregory Thomas said that investigators had ruled out terrorism by mid-Friday morning calling it a “local incident.” He characterized Howard as a contracted employee who worked at the FAA control tower facility in Aurora.

If convicted, Howard faces up to 20 years in prison. A court date is pending due his injuries, the FBI said.

You can check the status of your flight at flightaware.com.