(WNY News Now) – A 47-year-old Depew man has been sentenced to five years of probation and fined $5,000 after driving through a damaged security gate and entering restricted airport areas, including active runways.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Depew man convicted of illegally entering an aircraft or aircraft area at Buffalo Niagara International Airport has been sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

James R. Muench Jr., 47, received the sentence from U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr., according to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo.

The incident occurred on May 20, 2025, when Muench drove his vehicle to a closed security gate outside the airport.

According to federal prosecutors, Muench initially stopped at the gate but then repeatedly rammed it with his vehicle, bending the metal barrier. He subsequently drove through the damaged, partially open gate and entered the airport’s aircraft operational area.

Prosecutors said Muench drove through multiple secured sections of the airport, including inner airfield roads, aircraft taxiways and the commercial passenger aircraft ramp area.

He also drove onto active runways used by aircraft for takeoffs and landings.

The case resulted in Muench’s conviction for entering an aircraft or aircraft area. The sentence includes five years of probation and a $5,000 financial penalty.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the incident.

The investigation was conducted under the direction of NFTA Police Chief Brian Patterson and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis II.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright prosecuted the case. The sentencing was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.