Airport worker caught with loaded handgun in his backpack in New York, officials say
A man employed at a New York City airport never made it to his shift because he was caught with a loaded handgun in his backpack, officials said.
Transportation Security Administration officers discovered the firearm and its chamber loaded with four bullets as he passed through a security checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport on June 29, the TSA said in a June 30 news release.
He was on his way to work at one of the airport’s retail shops beyond airport security, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein confirmed to McClatchy News.
The Queens man was arrested after TSA officers called Port Authority Police, officials said. He was not identified in the news release.
When TSA officers found the .45 caliber handgun, it was seized along with his airport security badge, which he needed for work, according to the TSA. Now he’s lost his job, officials said.
“We are seeing a record high number of travelers because we are within the July 4th travel period, and this is no time to be carrying prohibited or illegal items,” John Essig, the TSA’s federal security director for JFK airport, said in a statement.
In 2022, out of 6,542 guns detected at 262 airport security checkpoints in the U.S., most of them, 88%, were loaded, according to the TSA.
The man is now facing a federal financial penalty of up to $15,000 for having a gun while passing through airport security, the release said.
It’s unclear why he had the gun inside his backpack, as officials didn’t provide details on a motive.
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Airport worker caught with loaded handgun in his backpack in New York, officials say."
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