US man tries to sneak into Germany dressed as a janitor to see his girlfriend during pandemic

A 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania was deported from Germany after trying to sneak into the country disguised as a janitor to see his girlfriend amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple reports.

Airlines have maintained some flights between the United States and Germany during the ongoing pandemic. However, U.S. national are not allowed to enter the country under current travel restrictions, Berlin authorities confirmed to ABC News.

German residents and family members of German nationals are allowed to enter the country, according to Deutsche Welle.

But on Sunday, the Pennsylvania native, whose identity has not been reported, flew on United Airlines from Washington D.C. to Frankfurt airport to meet his German girlfriend, according to ABC News. The couple met when she was on a student exchange program in the U.S. 

Upon arrival in Germany, the man put on a neon yellow vest and disguised himself as a custodian. He grabbed two trash cans after entering the airport and tried to empty them behind an airport security area.

However, border security officials stopped him after he tried to empty the bins multiple times despite being denied entry. One officer noticed that he was also not wearing an identification pass, and the man was also unable to speak German.

After being questioned by federal officials, the man confessed to trying to enter the country because he could not find any legal path around the travel restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic. He also did not reveal his girlfriend’s name because he “wanted to protect her,” a Federal police spokesperson told ABC News.

But police told Deutsche Welle he still would not have been able to enter the country even if he was able to sneak past the security checkpoint, as he still would have had to go through a separate checkpoint while exiting the airport’s transit area.

The man was deported back to the U.S. without seeing his girlfriend after spending the night in the Frankfurt Airport transit area.