The family of a mentally ill man who died after entering a jet engine at the Salt Lake City airport is suing, alleging a 'wild goose chase' by police delayed the search and contributed to the tragedy.

Kyler Efinger, 30, died on January 1, 2024, when he climbed into the engine of a plane that was running after breaching airport security.

His parents Judd and Lisa sued Salt Lake City on Tuesday, roughly two years after the tragedy.

They claimed that Efinger's gruesome death was caused by an 'obvious mental health episode' and could have been avoided, according to ABC4.

The parents alleged that the search for their son was 'wholly ineffective' - and that Efinger would still be alive if police had found him 30 seconds earlier.

City workers allegedly did not find 'a ticketed passenger known to be in distress and seen walking outside onto the tarmac on a freezing night,' per the suit.

Meanwhile, police officers were allegedly given incorrect information about Efinger's whereabouts and communication breakdowns led to 'wasted valuable time just trying to make sense of each other.'

Efinger's parents are seeking $300,000 and a jury trial.

Kyler Efinger is seen entering a closed area of Salt Lake City Airport shortly before he killed himself by climbing into the jet engine of a running aircraft in January 2024 

The parents of Efinger, pictured, are now suing Salt Lake City and its airport over the tragedy  

Efinger died at the Salt Lake City airport about two years ago as he was scheduled to fly to Denver, Colorado, to visit his sick grandfather.

The lawsuit says Efinger was diagnosed with bipolar disorder roughly ten years ago and could have episodes where he became 'visibly disoriented.'

Around 9pm, he experienced an episode and left his gate to pace up and down the moving walkways, occasionally against the flow.

The lawsuit filed by his parents described Efinger's behavior as 'objectively unusual for an adult.'

'Kyler's medical distress was sufficiently patent, and it was clear that he was in the throes of a mental health episode,' the legal filing added.

Thirty minutes later, Efinger entered a store in the airport's concourse. He was acting erratically while purchasing a jersey and forgot his bag as he left.

The store manager called airport staff, which made announcements for the bag's owner to return.

At that point, Kyler 'went running down the terminal toward the … store, this time with no shoes on and his shirt half unzipped.'

A thermal imaging camera showed Efinger approaching a slowly taxiing plane before his death in Salt Lake City

Efinger was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and could have episodes where he became 'visibly disoriented'