A Marine Corps recruit fled boot camp earlier this month before being apprehended at the San Diego airport, the Marine Corps said.
The recruit in question was attending boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and was snagged by local law enforcement nearby.
“We can confirm that a recruit assigned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego was apprehended by San Diego Harbor Police at the San Diego International Airport on November 4, 2024,” a spokesperson for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego said. “The recruit was returned safely to the MCRD Provost Marshall’s Office.”
The Marine Corps declined to comment on why the recruit was at the airport in the first place, or the circumstances that led to him leaving basic training.
The service also declined to name the recruit.
“We take this matter seriously as the safety and welfare of our recruits and permanent personnel is of the highest priority,” the spokesperson said. “In respect to the privacy of our recruits and permanent personnel, no further details will be released at this time.”
The service confirmed that a video posted to Reddit, titled “Recruit Escape,” is of the incident.
The subheading of the video reads: “Recruit from MCRDSD made a break to the airport lmao. We all had the same idea at one point.”
In the video, several San Diego Harbor Police, one in a tactical vest, capture the recruit and place him in handcuffs.
Midway through the video, Linkin Park’s hit 2000 song “In the End” fades in. The camera pans as the recruit is escorted out of the building by the police.
“His DI’s back at the barracks rubbing their hands and licking their lips just waiting,” one Redditor commented.
Riley Ceder is an editorial fellow at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice and human interest stories. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the ongoing Abused by the Badge investigation.
