JFK Airport Security Breach: 11 Stroll Through Deserted TSA Checkpoint, Officials Say

JOHN F. KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, NY — Eleven airline passengers strolled through a Terminal 5 security checkpoint at JFK Airport that had been deserted by federal Transportation Security Administration agents in the early morning hours of the Presidents Day holiday, then boarded their flights without proper screening, airport officials told Patch.

At least three of the passengers set off the metal detector and were not screened afterward, according to the TSA.

Only three of the 11 improperly screened passengers had been identified as of Monday afternoon. These three boarded a plane to California and will be screened once their plane touches down, according to the Port Authority (the state agency that runs JFK Airport).

It was unknown by 4 p.m. Monday if any of the passengers posed a security threat to others aboard their flights.

Despite all this uncertainty, TSA officials insisted: "We are confident this incident presents minimal risk to the aviation transportation system."

Two full hours passed after the 6 a.m. breach before "a TSA supervisor discovered and alerted Port Authority Police to the lapse," the Port Authority said in a stern statement Monday that low-key blamed federal security officials for the breach.

Beginning around 8 a.m., Port Authority cops scrambled to locate the 11 people who had walked through the checkpoint while it was deserted — to no avail.

"It is believed the travelers in question boarded various flights," a Port Authority spokesman said.

"Police were able by video to identify three people who got on a flight to California, where they will be screened upon arrival," the Port Authority spokesman said Monday afternoon. "Port Authority Police are continuing to assist federal authorities in efforts to identify and locate the other eight passengers."

The TSA, meanwhile, would not confirm the Port Authority's 11 count and overall played down the security breach in a statement sent to Patch:

The Transportation Security Administration is reviewing reports of a possible security incident this morning at John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 5.

Early reports indicate 3 passengers did not receive required secondary screening after alarming the walk through metal detector. All personal carry-on bags received required screening. A K9 team was present at the checkpoint at the time of the incident. TSA conducted security measures at the passengers' arrival airport.

TSA works with a network of security layers both seen and unseen. We are confident this incident presents minimal risk to the aviation transportation system.

Once our review is complete, TSA will take appropriate action.

The TSA is a federal agency run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the Donald Trump administration. The Port Authority, meanwhile, is controlled by New York and New Jersey state government officials.

Patch sent followup emails to both the Port Authority and the TSA late Monday, asking for further explanation on the discrepancies between the two agencies' narratives.

Port Authority Police spokesman Joe Pentangelo did not immediately respond.

Below is TSA spokesman Bruce Anderson's response.

Everyone who went through that checkpoint was screened. A supervisor saw 11 passengers go through and immediately sent another supervisor to review CCTV to be able to track the passengers down.

Three of them should have received secondary screening because they alarmed the metal detector. We focused on those three. Based on available information we determined they presented minimal risk to aviation security.

I need to emphasize that ALL of the passengers walked past an explosives detection K9 and ALL of the passengers had their carry-on bags screened.

We'll update this post with anything else we find out about the Presidents Day security breach at JFK.

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for the latest.

Lead photo by Kyle McCarthy/Flickr