Gun Found In Bookbag At Newark Airport; Irvington Man Misses Flight

NEWARK, NJ — An Essex County man missed his flight out of Newark Airport last week after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers found a loaded gun in his bookbag, authorities announced Tuesday.

A TSA officer detected a .45 caliber handgun in an Irvington resident’s bag as it entered an x-ray machine at a Terminal A security checkpoint on June 20.

Port Authority police escorted the man and his weapon out of the airport. He wasn’t arrested because he had a New Jersey permit to carry the firearm – but he also didn’t catch his flight, authorities said.

He also faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty for bringing a gun to a security checkpoint. The penalty for bringing a weapon to a TSA checkpoint can cost as much as $15,000, depending on the circumstances, authorities said.

“When individuals bring their firearms to our checkpoints, it represents a risk to everyone in the area and slows down the checkpoint screening process for everyone,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s federal security director for New Jersey.

“Even individuals with a permit are not permitted to carry their firearm through a checkpoint,” Carter pointed out.

According to the TSA:

“Guns can be transported on a flight if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and declared to the airline. The airline will be sure that the gun travels with checked baggage in the belly of the plane, never in the cabin of the plane. Additionally, replica firearms also are prohibited in carry-on baggage and also must be transported in checked luggage.”

“Travelers are responsible for the contents of their carry-on bags,” Carter said. “In addition, responsible gun owners know where their firearms are at all times and they know not to bring them to a security checkpoint.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.