Trespasser Killed on Denver International Airport Runway Identified as Violent Career Criminal

Late Friday night, a man was killed after being sucked up into the engine of a Frontier passenger jet on the runway at Denver International Airport.

This trespasser breached security before wandering out onto the runway, right in front of the plane, where he met his fate.

Surveillance footage of the terrifying moment was released yesterday:

WATCH: New Footage Shows Plane Fatally Striking Trespasser at Denver International Airport

Now, new details have emerged about the incident.

The trespasser who was killed has been identified as 41-year-old Michael Mott.

Mott had a lengthy criminal record that included a prior arrest for attempted murder.

Here are some photos of him:

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

Michael Mott, 41, from Cortez, Colorado has been identified as the trespasser who walked in front of a plane engine during take-off from Denver on May 8. pic.twitter.com/6L8Lk5eDI6

— Lucra (@lucrafund) May 12, 2026

Officials have ruled Mott's death a suicide.

Perhaps the guilt finally got to him?

The New York Post provided more details on Mott's criminal background:

Michael Mott, 41, was seeking to commit suicide when he calmly walked across the runway while the aircraft barreled toward him, according to video of the grisly scene and a representative for the Denver City and County Medical Examiner’s Office.

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The cause of death was determined to be multiple blunt and sharp force injuries, Chief Medical Examiner Sterling McLaren said during a news conference Tuesday.

A suicide note has not been recovered, according to Denver Police Department Chief Ron Thomas. However, Mott had multiple previous problems with the law.

A spokesperson for the department later told The Post that Mott was involved in a reported assault in Denver back in February 2025, but no arrests were made after the victim declined to press charges.

Additionally, he racked up over 20 arrests – including one for felony trespassing in Colorado Springs, just one month before his suicide – and spent time behind bars on at least three separate occassions dating back to 2002, public records show.

Many of his arrests were for violent crimes, including attempted murder using a gun in 2005 — for which he received six years behind bars, after pleading down to assault causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon — domestic violence, felony menacing and assault in 2010; second-degree burglary in 2016 and felony assault on a peace officer in 2020.

In 2017, he attempted to escape prison custody, according to public records.

His other violations, which began when he was just 17 years old, included driving under the influence, a hit-and-run, trespassing and resisting arrest on several occasions.

The Denver Police Chief and Chief Medical Examiner provided more details about the incident during a press conference.

Watch here:

JUST IN: The man who walked in front of a Frontier jet while it was taking off from Denver has been identified as 41-year-old Michael Mott.

Mott had climbed the perimeter fence just minutes before walking on the runway. He was identified by fingerprints at the scene.

According… pic.twitter.com/LMmUyVMO1p

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 12, 2026

JUST IN: The man who walked in front of a Frontier jet while it was taking off from Denver has been identified as 41-year-old Michael Mott.

Mott had climbed the perimeter fence just minutes before walking on the runway. He was identified by fingerprints at the scene.

According to Denver's chief medical examiner, Sterling McLaren, Mott's death was ruled a su*cide. He was sucked into one of the plane's engines.

Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas says no vehicle or bike was found at the location where Mott jumped the fence.

While Mott reportedly scaled the 8-foot-tall fence, the airport's motion sensors detected a herd of deer near where he was.

Mott reportedly had previous contact with law enforcement in the metro area, but no more details were released.