Man caught traveling with loaded gun at Newark Airport, tying annual record

A Pennsylvania man was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday after Transportation Security Administration agents discovered a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag.

The resident of Newton Square, Pa., was the third person arrested for possession of a gun at the New Jersey airport this month, according to the TSA.

The 9mm handgun also marked the 14th gun caught at one of Newark Airport’s checkpoints so far this year, which ties the record for most guns caught there in a single year – with a full month remaining.

“Getting caught with and arrested for carrying a loaded gun at our airport means this individual had a pretty bad Thanksgiving,” Thomas Carter, TSA Federal Security Director for New Jersey, said in a statement.

The pistol appears to be a Springfield Armory Hellcat, the same model 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken reportedly used to shoot and kill an active shooter at an Indiana mall in July. The Newark gun was found loaded with 13 bullets, including one in the chamber.

Carter continued: “Our TSA officers are on the job this busy holiday weekend so that others can reach their destinations safely and spend the holiday with their family and friends. Our team is staying vigilant and focused on the mission to help ensure that prohibited items are not carried onto a flight.”

The security director said that the man, who was not identified, faces “a stiff federal financial civil penalty that could run into thousands of dollars.”

Civil penalties apply to travelers with or without concealed carry permits because such a permit does not allow a firearm to be carried onto an airplane, according to the statement.

The TSA said its officers detected 5,972 guns at security checkpoints nationwide last year. 86 percent of them were loaded.

Last week, TSA agents at Virginia’s Richmond International Airport found a knife “artfully” concealed inside a large “gaming” laptop.