Newark airport traveler had handgun in carry-on bag, TSA says

Newark Libetry gun arrest

The .22 caliber handgun found in the backpack of a passenger on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at Newark Liberty International Airport. He was arrested on gun charges.

An Alabama man was arrested Wednesday at Newark Liberty International Airport after being found with a .22-caliber handgun in his carry-on bag at a security checkpoint, officials said.

The Bessemer, Alabama resident was arrested by Port Authority police around 2:50 p.m. after agents spotted the gun as it entered an X-ray machine at Terminal B. He was charged with unlawful possession of weapon and unlawful possession of dum-dum-bodyarmour penetrating bullets and is the first person caught with a gun at the airport this year, authorities said.

TSA officers nabbed travelers with 26 guns in the New York City region’s three major airports in 2019, which officials called a “notable increase" from the 20 caught in 2018. That reflected a national trend of an uptick in the number of firearms travelers have brought to airports over the past several years.

Newark Liberty bucked that trend with 11 firearms detected at checkpoints last year, a decline from the 14 guns TSA officers found in 2018, officials said. Still, screeners at Newark Liberty saw more guns than the eight detected at John F. Kennedy Airport or the seven guns travelers tried to bring on airplanes at LaGuardia Airport.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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