A Ridgewood, N.J., man was arrested by police on Friday, November 1, after Transportation Security Administration officers at Newark Liberty International Airport intercepted a gun among the man’s carry-on items.
The TSA officer detected the firearm in a carry-on bag at a checkpoint in Terminal C as the man’s blue backpack entered the checkpoint X-ray machine.
Port Authority Police were alerted, confiscated the firearm and arrested the man.
“This individual said that he had previously been a crime victim, which is why he had his firearm with him,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey. “This is an understandable reason to own a firearm. However, guns are not permitted to be carried into the cabin of a plane. As a result, not only does this individual face criminal charges from the police, but he also will face a stiff federal financial civil penalty that is likely to set him back several thousands of dollars. Firearms are never permitted through an airport security checkpoint.”