I thought the same exact thing. I wonder if maybe it's a trick of the audio (someone else actually came on the line), or if that was actually what happened. It was pretty surreal if so, just like you said.
It sounds similar to manufacturing's authorisation for anybody to stop the line in the case of defects - its better to delay things for a short while and make sure everything is ok than it is to compound the problem by letting things continue. I imagine in the case of an airport with a plane stuck on the active runway this is even more the case, since the problem can quickly escalate into hundreds of people dying.
My glider club just had our annual safety meeting, and one of the things we repeat every year is that it doesn't matter how new or inexperienced you are, if you see something that looks unsafe, call it out or put a stop to things if you think it's necessary. Doesn't matter if it's your first day at the airport, speak up.
I imagine the same thing would be true here. If you think the airport needs to be closed, then close the airport. Doesn't matter if you just got hired five minutes ago for the lowest position in the whole place, if you think the airport is no longer safe then shut it down.
