The Transportation Security Administration is investigating the discovery of a stun gun on board an airliner that landed at Newark Liberty International Airport.
JetBlue confirmed the device was found by a cleaning crew tucked away in a seat pocket aboard one of their planes.
Flight 1179 had flown to Newark from Logan Airport in Boston at 10:00 p.m. last Friday. Officials were unclear where – or how – the stun gun made it on the plane.
“The crew discovered what they deemed to be a suspicious object in a seat back pocket,” JetBlue said in a statement.
The FBI said there’s no indication any plot or attack involving the stun gun was imminent.
“What can you do about it? There are always ways to beat the system through,” one passenger told CBS 2′s Christine Sloan. “You just have to live your life.”
“I would hate to think it’s part of the staff there; you have to trust your people,” Richard Van Eenennaam, of New Jersey, said. “If you don’t trust your people, we have problems.”
Authorities said they want to know how the stun gun made it on board.
The TSA said it has several different levels of security that passengers can’t see, including armed pilots, fortified cockpit doors and on-board federal marshals.
“Maybe some cop dropped it or something,” Rob Reehm, of California, said. “I’m not that concerned.”
Either way, federal authorities in Boston said they have found prohibited items on planes, and their job is to find out how this one got on.
The investigation will include scrutiny of all airport employees, each of whom goes through tight background checks.
Monday’s incident was just the latest security breach now being investigated by the TSA. Two weeks ago, Nigerian-American Olajide Noibi boarded a Virgin American flight from New York to Los Angeles without a passport and with an expired boarding pass that didn’t belong to him. Authorities said he was found with numerous other discarded boarding passes.
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The TSA agents were too busy bothering children, confiscating spring water and nail clippers, and stealing electronics to notice.
How many failure-of-the-week incidents will it take before this farce is dismantled?
Frankly, I am stunned that this could happen!