A vehicle crashed through the entrance of the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Friday night, injuring several people and triggering a large emergency response.
Car Slams Into Detroit Airport Terminal; Motive Still Unclear
Late Friday evening, a car smashed through the glass doors of the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) and came to rest near a Delta Air Lines check-in counter. The incident occurred at approximately 7:30 pm on the departures level.
Video circulating on social media shows a dark Mercedes sedan inside the terminal surrounded by shattered glass and debris. Emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene and portions of the entrance were taped off while authorities assessed the situation.
@detroitmac1313 Detroit airport Jan 23 2026 dtw dtwcarcrash airport
Airport officials confirmed that six people were treated for injuries at the scene. None of the injuries were reported to be life-threatening.
Driver Taken Into Custody, No Motive
Law enforcement officers detained the driver shortly after the crash. Video from inside the terminal shows the driver, wearing a Detroit Lions jersey, exiting the vehicle with hands raised before being taken into custody by airport police.
The Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department confirmed that the driver is in custody and that an investigation is underway.
As of now, authorities have not established a motive. Officials have not indicated whether the crash was intentional, accidental, or the result of a medical episode. Investigators have also stated that there is currently no indication of terrorism.
The identity of the driver has not yet been released, and potential charges have not been publicly detailed.
Despite the dramatic scene, airport operations continued Friday night. Delta Air Lines reported that flights were operating, though the affected terminal entrance was closed temporarily while cleanup and structural assessments were conducted.
I was looking through my old pictures of the McNamara Terminal In Detroit, where Delta operates from and what surprises me is that are security barriers at each pedestrian entrance to the terminal precisely to prevent against this sort of thing…yet they failed to stop this Mercedes Benz. That is perhaps the scariest part of this story…
CONCLUSION
A vehicle crashed through barriers and into a Delta Air Lines ticketing counter inside Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Fortunately, injuries were minor and there is no confirmed broader threat. Still, until investigators determine what led to the crash, questions remain about whether this was reckless behavior, a medical emergency, or something more deliberate.
Were on a mission from God.
Pre-boarding D. Edds style.
It’s a test run for a car bomb, so sad. The war against terrorism is not over.
Even if the driver was simply nuts, it’s a lesson for terrorist groups unrelated to the driver.
Quite the theory you got there… probably was just a Trumper…
Looking at the video from outside, it appears that the bollard was completely removed from its base by the car. This morning, the airport should be making plans to remove all of these and replace them with concrete bollard ASAP.
I also imagine you will soon see these installed at every airport. I dont think ohare even has bollards outside their entrances
At the very beginning of the Bryan Schuerman video, it looks like the barrier gave way where the car smashed thru the entrance doors. Either an engineering failure, or contractor shortcut. This is very serious for the Delta check in counter could have been crowded with passengers.
The Detroit Airport authority has a lot of explaining to do!!!
Several years back, wasn’t there a similar situation in Scotland where a SUV crashed thru the doors of the airport and caught fire?!
You’re thinking of an attempted terrorist attack in 2007 where a car loaded with flammable materials was driven into the terminal at Glasgow Airport but could not get past the doors (possibly due to bollards) and was unable to enter the check-in hall.
Yet despite cases like this, airports around the world are still predominantly designed in a way that allows private vehicles to get very close to the terminal.
Timm Dunn wantedtp[ull up to premium surbside heck-in. for his flight.
The bollards are just bolted to the surface of the pavement.
To be effective, they need to go into the ground.
The bollards at DTW are just part of the “security theatre”.
Cheaper to install and people think they’re being protected.