Construction contractor caught with loaded gun at busy New York airport, feds say
A construction contractor was caught with a loaded gun at a busy New York airport, federal officials said.
The man was headed to work at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens on March 26 when Transportation Security Administration officers “detected the firearm among (his) belongings as he was entering” a security checkpoint, TSA said in an April 1 news release.
The gun — a 9mm — had 15 bullets, officials said.
The man, whose name wasn’t released, was arrested by airport police, officials said.
Officers took the gun, along with his airport identification badge that’s required to work at the airport, per the release.
The man, from Broad Channel, also faces a possible federal citation, “which could cost thousands of dollars,” officials said.
“This was a good catch on the part of our TSA officers as it addressed a possible insider threat situation,” John Essig, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, said in the news release.
“Individuals who work at the airport, whether they are members of the flight crew, work at retail shops, work for airlines, or are contractors of a company that does business at the airport are not allowed to bring prohibited items onto the secure side of the airport,” he said.
Broad Channel is a neighborhood in Queens.
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