Two employees with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in D.C. are accused of leaking official airport footage of the moment when an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airlines passenger Flight 5342 just outside Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) into the Potomac River last week.
Both men have been charged in connection with making an unauthorized copy of Airports Authority records related to the Jan. 29 plane collision, according to MWAA. The suspects apparently leaked the footage to CNN, as FOX 5 D.C. reported.
Authorities arrested and charged Mohamed Lamine Mbengue, 21, of Rockville, Maryland, with computer trespass, a misdemeanor, on Jan. 31.
Upon further investigation, authorities arrested and charged Jonathan Savoy, 45, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, with the same crime. A mugshot was not available for Savoy at the time of publication.
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Authorities arrested and charged Mohamed Lamine Mbengue, 21, of Rockville, Maryland, with computer trespass, a misdemeanor, on Jan. 31. (FOX 5 DC/ Arlington Co. Sheriff’s Office)
Court records say Savoy used a work-issued phone to record a video of victims being recovered after the collision.
On Feb. 2, “it was reported to the MWAA Police Department, Criminal Investigation Section that an employee with MWAA Police Department, Criminal Investigation Section that an employee with the MWAA Public Safety Communication (Dispatchers) had video recorded/taken pictures of video of the deceases that were involved in the aircraft collision,” a complaint states.
The complaint continues: “The videos/ pictures were taken on the Accused’s cellphone from a computer that was logged on an MWAA restricted network to view video surveillance. The Accused recorded videos of the deceased bodies being transferred from a first-responder boat onto a staging area.”
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An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines jet at Reagan Washington National airport. (Credit: EarthCam) (EarthCam)
The Arlington County General District Court told Fox News Digital that a complaint for Mbengue was not available at the time of publication.
The collision killed a total of 67 people, and authorities are still working to identify all the victims involved and clean debris from the Potomac as of Tuesday.
Savoy was released on a summons by a magistrate, and Mbengue was booked into the Arlington County Adult Detention Center and released on his own recognizance, MWAA told Fox News Digital in a statement.
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Wreckage is seen in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on Thursday, Jan. 30. (Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles, U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
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Authorities have not released any further information about the incident.
Fox News Digital reached out to CNN for comment.