Man arrested, police officer injured after standoff at State College Regional Airport
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- Man arrested after hourslong standoff at State College Regional Airport.
- PSU police say he damaged rental car kiosks, brandished knife and claimed meth use.
- Officer injured; suspect hit with bean bag round and stunned with Taser before arrest.
One man was taken into custody and a pair of early morning flights were delayed Sunday at State College Regional Airport after three rental car offices were damaged and a police officer was injured.
Jeffrey W. Roeder, 46, of Michigan, is facing felony charges of aggravated assault and criminal mischief after what one airport official described as “somewhat of a standoff or some kind of confrontation” with police. The incident lasted about four hours.
Officers were dispatched about 2:15 a.m. Sunday after Roeder was reported to be loitering around the airport, Penn State police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. He was found behind a rental car kiosk, where police said he was damaging computer monitors, furniture and other items.
Roeder then brandished a knife, threatened to stab officers and barricaded himself while displaying what police described as “unstable behaviors.” He made references to “ninjas” and said he was high on methamphetamine, police wrote.
Roeder was taken into custody about 6:15 a.m. Sunday after officers shot him with a bean bag round and stunned him with a Taser, police wrote. An officer’s hand was lacerated during the arrest.
Centre County Airport Authority Interim Director Ralph Stewart told the Centre Daily Times that assessments to determine the extent of the damage at the rental car offices are ongoing. Police said the cost is expected to exceed $7,500.
Stewart said he was not aware of any cancellations. The airport resumed normal operations about 8:30 a.m.
The reopening was delayed after an unattended backpack was found in the airport’s parking lot. Stewart said there was “nothing in the bag that was of danger to anyone.”
He also thanked Penn State for its “superb job handling this event.”
“From A to Z, they did a superb job,” Stewart said. “They did what they had to do — they closed the terminal to make sure the public was safe and they kept it closed until everybody was safe. That’s paramount any time unexpected situations happen that involves safety.
“We all want to make sure people are safe at the end of the day. Things may be delayed or what have you, but it’s all within the focus of ending things in the safest way possible for everybody.”
In addition to felony charges, Roeder is also facing misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. He was not arraigned as of 1:15 p.m. Sunday. No defense lawyer was listed.
This story was originally published January 18, 2026 at 8:55 AM.
