.Man Of Haitian Descent Arrested In Breach At JFK
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Police say a man of Haitian descent who left the island nation after the devastating earthquake caused a security breach at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport by opening a restricted door.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Steve Coleman says 57-year-old Jules Paul Bouloute was arrested Saturday on a charge of criminal trespass.
He says Bouloute lives in Brooklyn but was in Haiti during Tuesday's earthquake. The man took a flight from the Dominican Republic to Orlando, Fla., before connecting on a flight to New York.
Coleman says it's unclear how or when Bouloute got from Haiti to the Dominican Republic.
The security breach delayed dozens of flights and caused headaches for hundreds of travelers who had to exit the terminal and get re-screened.
This most recent emergency evacuation at one of the area's major airports is leaving travelers with a case of déjà vu.
Nearly two weeks ago, a graduate student caused chaos and huge delays after breaching a security checkpoint at Newark Liberty Airport. On Saturday, it happened at JFK.
A busy terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport was evacuated Saturday after a passenger opened a restricted door and set off an alarm, officials said.
The incident delayed some flights for hours and caused headaches for hundreds of travelers who had to exit the terminal, wait for police to sweep through the building, and then return for a second security screening.
"I just hope I'm not late for my flight," said Victor Medina, looking frustrated after waiting 2 1/2 hours to be re-screened for a connection from Mexico to London.
The security breach apparently involved a passenger who arrived on a flight from Orlando, Fla., and, while exiting Kennedy's Terminal 8, opened a door that was supposed to be used only by airport workers.
Authorities were initially unsure whether the person had been coming or going from the terminal and evacuated the secure areas of the building while they investigated. The Transportation Security Administration said its agents and Port Authority police were searching for the person who walked through the door. It was not immediately clear whether the passenger would face charges.
They have such big signs, I don't know how you can miss that," said Teijo Niemela of Lambertville, N.J., waiting in a security line for his delayed flight to Helsinki. "That makes me angry about the whole system. We pay a lot of money because of someone's mistakes."
Judy Erickson, a hairdresser who was waiting to get on a flight to Los Angeles, said it was shocking that the passenger was able to get through a restricted door.
"All those doors that you're not supposed to go through should have a guard or security," she said.
Terminal 8 handles both domestic and international flights for American Airlines.
A spokesman for the airline, Charley Wilson, said the breach happened at around 3 p.m. Some flights were being delayed, and two American planes that had landed were waiting on the tarmac for permission to proceed to their gates.
Wilson wasn't sure how long it would take to fully reopen the terminal.
TSA released a statement on the incident:
"At approximately 3:30 pm EST at John F. Kennedy International Airport, an individual entered the sterile area in Terminal 8 through a non-public, employee door used by airlines. TSA is working closely with the Port Authority to find the individual. The terminal is being evacuated in order to rescreen all passengers to ensure the safety of the traveling public."
Security officials began to let passengers back in around 6 p.m. but weren't sure how long it would take for everyone to pass through security checkpoints.
Inside the terminal, hundreds of people waited in a long line outside the security gate. Dozens of people sat on the floor with their bags.
"The rest of us are made to suffer," said Meganne Harvey, 22, who was trying to fly home to San Diego after a trip to Paris.
The incident is the third evacuation in five months at airports that serve New York City.
A man was charged last week with breaching security at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Jan. 3. Flights were grounded for hours and passengers were re-screened while air safety officials searched for him.
A Rutgers University graduate student from China, Haisong Jiang, 28, is set to be arraigned on January 28 in Newark Municipal Court on a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
In August, a terminal at LaGuardia airport was evacuated after police tackled a disturbed man who was carrying a device that looked like a bomb but turned out to be harmless.
WCBSTV
Our security is in the hands of people that did not know that people coming through and international airport might not read the language? We are fried...
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Steve Coleman says 57-year-old Jules Paul Bouloute was arrested Saturday on a charge of criminal trespass.
He says Bouloute lives in Brooklyn but was in Haiti during Tuesday's earthquake. The man took a flight from the Dominican Republic to Orlando, Fla., before connecting on a flight to New York.
Coleman says it's unclear how or when Bouloute got from Haiti to the Dominican Republic.
The security breach delayed dozens of flights and caused headaches for hundreds of travelers who had to exit the terminal and get re-screened.
This most recent emergency evacuation at one of the area's major airports is leaving travelers with a case of déjà vu.
Nearly two weeks ago, a graduate student caused chaos and huge delays after breaching a security checkpoint at Newark Liberty Airport. On Saturday, it happened at JFK.
A busy terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport was evacuated Saturday after a passenger opened a restricted door and set off an alarm, officials said.
The incident delayed some flights for hours and caused headaches for hundreds of travelers who had to exit the terminal, wait for police to sweep through the building, and then return for a second security screening.
"I just hope I'm not late for my flight," said Victor Medina, looking frustrated after waiting 2 1/2 hours to be re-screened for a connection from Mexico to London.
The security breach apparently involved a passenger who arrived on a flight from Orlando, Fla., and, while exiting Kennedy's Terminal 8, opened a door that was supposed to be used only by airport workers.
Authorities were initially unsure whether the person had been coming or going from the terminal and evacuated the secure areas of the building while they investigated. The Transportation Security Administration said its agents and Port Authority police were searching for the person who walked through the door. It was not immediately clear whether the passenger would face charges.
They have such big signs, I don't know how you can miss that," said Teijo Niemela of Lambertville, N.J., waiting in a security line for his delayed flight to Helsinki. "That makes me angry about the whole system. We pay a lot of money because of someone's mistakes."
Judy Erickson, a hairdresser who was waiting to get on a flight to Los Angeles, said it was shocking that the passenger was able to get through a restricted door.
"All those doors that you're not supposed to go through should have a guard or security," she said.
Terminal 8 handles both domestic and international flights for American Airlines.
A spokesman for the airline, Charley Wilson, said the breach happened at around 3 p.m. Some flights were being delayed, and two American planes that had landed were waiting on the tarmac for permission to proceed to their gates.
Wilson wasn't sure how long it would take to fully reopen the terminal.
TSA released a statement on the incident:
"At approximately 3:30 pm EST at John F. Kennedy International Airport, an individual entered the sterile area in Terminal 8 through a non-public, employee door used by airlines. TSA is working closely with the Port Authority to find the individual. The terminal is being evacuated in order to rescreen all passengers to ensure the safety of the traveling public."
Security officials began to let passengers back in around 6 p.m. but weren't sure how long it would take for everyone to pass through security checkpoints.
Inside the terminal, hundreds of people waited in a long line outside the security gate. Dozens of people sat on the floor with their bags.
"The rest of us are made to suffer," said Meganne Harvey, 22, who was trying to fly home to San Diego after a trip to Paris.
The incident is the third evacuation in five months at airports that serve New York City.
A man was charged last week with breaching security at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Jan. 3. Flights were grounded for hours and passengers were re-screened while air safety officials searched for him.
A Rutgers University graduate student from China, Haisong Jiang, 28, is set to be arraigned on January 28 in Newark Municipal Court on a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
In August, a terminal at LaGuardia airport was evacuated after police tackled a disturbed man who was carrying a device that looked like a bomb but turned out to be harmless.
WCBSTV
Our security is in the hands of people that did not know that people coming through and international airport might not read the language? We are fried...
posted by madtom at 12:33 AM
1 Comments:
Always great to know hourly employees can't apply discretion when most needed. JFK is only about 45 minutes from Newark International, where a similar incident occurred over a breach. There an Asian man was caught breaching security because he thought it was okay to pass through to say good bye to his girlfriend. These security guards have to up their game, ASAP! Rational travelers are usually hesitant to push open or pass through random doors due to fear of setting off an alarm by 'mistake'.
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