Pa. man caught with gun at Newark airport security checkpoint, officials say

A Pennsylvania man was arrested Sunday after being found with a handgun at a Newark Liberty International Airport security checkpoint, authorities said.

The 37-year-old Bethlehem resident had an unloaded .357-caliber handgun in Terminal C, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday,

Port Authority police made the arrest after a TSA agent detected the gun as it passed through an X-ray machine. Police charged the man with unlawful possession of a weapon.

The gun arrest was the first of 2023 at Newark airport. Fourteen people were found with guns at airport checkpoints last year. In 2021, 12 gun arrests were made.

Last month TSA announced that the penalty for bringing weapons to the airport increased and can reach as high as $15,000, depending on the circumstances.

Guns can be transported on commercial flights if they are packed in a locked hard-sided container and no one can access them during the flight.

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.

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