WATCH: Seattle Airport Employee Who Stole Alaska Airlines Jet 29-Year-Old Pierce County Resident

SEATTLE, WA (THECOUNT) — A Seattle airport employee and resident of Pierce County, crashed a stolen Alaska Airlines airplane shortly after takeoff on Friday night.

A 29-year-old “suicidal” airline mechanic stole an empty Horizon Airlines plane, took off from SeaTac International Airport and was chased by military jets before crashing near a small island in the Puget Sound on Friday night, officials said.

Preliminary information suggests that the 29-year-old mechanic stole the Horizon Air Q400 and the crash occurred because he was “doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said. source

Hawaiian Air released a statement: We’ve confirmed a Horizon Air Q400 that had an unauthorized takeoff from SeaTac around 8pm has gone down near Ketron Island in Pierce County, WA. We’re working to confirm who was on board, we believe there were no guests or crew on board other than the person operating the plane.