A couple walking near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport says a masked person raised an axe at them before dawn and asked a chilling question: “Are you ready?” Jason Morgan said he grabbed the weapon away from the attacker while his girlfriend, Lilieth Crawford, dialed 911, and the person then took off running into the dark.
Morgan recounted the moment to NBC 6 South Florida, describing how the masked figure closed in on him. “He approached me and raised the axe and said, ‘Are you ready?’” Morgan said. He said he managed to wrestle the weapon away in the moment, giving Crawford time to call for help as the person fled on foot.
Crawford told the station the attacker wore a ski mask and camouflage, and that the getaway looked almost cinematic. “Like a Freddy Krueger kind of person, just running off like slow motion,” she said, describing the surreal scene that played out in the pre-dawn darkness.
Deputies Searched But Came Up Empty
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area along Southwest 34th Street, just outside the airport perimeter, around 3:20 a.m. Friday. According to the station’s report, deputies canvassed the surrounding area but were not able to locate the person. Officials described the weapon involved as a hatchet.
The encounter has rattled people who work in the area overnight. Nearby workers told the outlet they were concerned about safety after dark and said they believed a similar incident had happened a few weeks earlier, raising suspicion that the same person could be responsible. Worker Svetla Koleva pointed to the area’s lack of lighting as part of what makes it unsettling. “It’s scary. I mean, we come out at night and there’s not many lights,” she said.
Tip Line Open as Search Continues
The Broward Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information to contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. No arrest has been announced in connection with the confrontation, and the person’s identity remains unknown.
The area sits just outside the perimeter of one of South Florida’s busiest travel hubs, where security costs have drawn scrutiny before. A 2024 audit cited by WLRN found that Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport paid the Broward Sheriff’s Office $28 million for law enforcement services, more than several comparable airports, in part because it cannot contract with other agencies.
