Ridgewood man arrested at Newark Airport after TSA finds gun in carry-on luggage

Newark

By: Richard L. Smith

A Bergen County man was arrested on Friday, November 1, after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers discovered a firearm in his carry-on luggage at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The incident occurred at a security checkpoint in Terminal C when a TSA officer discovered the gun in the Rodgewood, New Jersey, man's blue backpack as he passed through the X-ray machine.

Following standard procedure, TSA officers alerted Port Authority police, who confiscated the firearm and took the man into custody.

According to Thomas Carter, the TSA's federal security director for New Jersey, the man claimed he was carrying the firearm because he had previously been a victim of a crime.

“This is an understandable reason to own a firearm,” Carter said. “However, weapons are not allowed to be carried in the cabin of an aircraft. As a result, not only will that person be prosecuted by the police, but he will also be facing a large federal civil fine that will likely set him back several thousand dollars.”

The federal fine for attempting to bring a firearm through an airport security checkpoint can be up to $15,000, depending on the circumstances.

TSA officials continue to remind travelers that firearms must be declared and stored in checked baggage according to appropriate guidelines and are strictly prohibited in carry-on baggage.