KEWR on lockdown, no flights in or out.

[darlyn]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/03/new.je ... rt.breach/ (http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/03/new.jersey.airport.breach/)


(CNN) -- A terminal at the Newark, New Jersey, airport was closed Sunday night after a man walked through the wrong side of a checkpoint exit, the Transportation Security Administration said.

Police are seeking the individual, who walked from the public side to the sterile side, said TSA spokeswoman Anne Davis. No flights were allowed to leave from Terminal C Sunday evening, she said.

Authorities are reviewing video from airport cameras. They are not sure whether the man was once on the sterile side and went back, or if he never went through screening, Davis said.

Other travelers who had reached the sterile area after going through checkpoints are being moved back to the public area to be re-screened, she said.

The incident caused arrival delays and mainly affected Continental Airlines, which is the airport's largest tenant.

Newark Liberty International Airport, which is located about 15 miles from Manhattan, is the second-largest hub for Continental.

The airport handles roughly 35 million passengers a year.

One of my correspondents happened to be standing outside the IKEA spotting locale and was shocked to see that there wasn't a single flight.

[Gerard]

One of my correspondents happened to be standing outside the IKEA spotting locale and was shocked to see that there wasn't a single flight.[/quote]

You have "correspondents"? I like that.
And CNN just showed pics from the Terminal and its a mess.

[coachrowsey]

Thanks TSA that your idiots can't even watch a lane :oops:

[DHG750R]

It's terminal C


GROUND STOPS

ARPT UPDATE POE SCOPE REASON ADVZY
EWR 0300 LOW NO WEST + CZY SECURITY BREACH TERMINAL C. THIS STOP IS FOR COA/CJC/UCA FLIGHTS ONLY. DO NOT CHARGE AS AN ATC DLA.

[Matt Molnar]

From someone on Twitter:

http://www.nycaviation.com/hosting/ewr-breach.jpg

[Tom_Turner]

What a fiasco..... I wonder if the shops at Terminal C will stay open.

Tom

[DHG750R]

looks like the groundstop for CO/Coex flts is extended, update at 0500z (12am)


ATCSCC ADVZY 017 EWR/ZNY 01/04/10 AIRLINE GROUND STOP
COA, CJC AND UCA FLIGHTS TO EWR FROM ZAU, ZBW, ZDC, ZFW, ZHU, ZID,
ZJX, ZKC, ZMA, ZME, ZMP, ZNY, ZOB, ZTL AND CANADA ARE GROUND STOPPED
DUE TO A SECURITY ISSUE. UPDATE TIME IS 0500Z. THESE ARE NOT
REPORTABLE DELAYS.
040359-040529

10/01/04 04:00

[Matt Molnar]

They keep pushing it back. Originally it was supposed to end at 830.

Could start to get ugly soon, I hear thousands of people are still crammed in there and trampling their way through the C2 security checkpoint, which is now open.

[GrummanFan]

HQeG1kaddsw

[Mateo]

Weirdly, that lineup of people is to get /out/ of the terminal. I see gates 70 and 71, which is right by where the bus departs for the free impromptu airside tour. I wonder if they had to dump A2 as well.

[Ychocky]

My sister departed at 4:30 on DL792 to AMS

Thank goodness she avoided this mess.

[njgtr82]

I feel bad for all of these people who are now stuck, but incompetence rules again. There's usually two TSA agents at each of the 3 exit lanes stopping people from entering there so I wonder how this person got in.

[T-Bird76]

No exuse for this what so ever and whoever was watching that door should be collecting a pink slip today. There's no reason one way doors can't be install to prevent accidental entry to the secure areas.

[Art at ISP]

The scary part is they couldn't even find the person.

Stupidity or are we being tested? Discuss amongst yourselves....whoever was on that post should have been arrested let alone fired....and I would not be surprised to see CO sue TSA for the cost of delays and cancellations.

Amazing..simply amazing....

[coachrowsey]

Art:
That's what I'm thinking. CO should sue for damages.

[emshighway]

No exuse for this what so ever and whoever was watching that door should be collecting a pink slip today. There's no reason one way doors can't be install to prevent accidental entry to the secure areas.

I'm sure they will be.

[Matt Molnar]

WCBSTV.com now reporting the officer has been "reassigned."

[Art at ISP]

"reassigned" is not good enough. Terminated would be more suitable.

I would liketo see the video of the guy--perhaps they will release it so he can be identified. He was said to leave the terminal 20 minutes later--doesn't seem kosher to me.

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

Art:
That's what I'm thinking. CO should sue for damages.

Same here. What happened at EWR has to have cost CO a very pretty penny with the amount of flights they have at EWR.

[emshighway]

"reassigned" is not good enough. Terminated would be more suitable.

Reassigned to non-screening duties is usually prelude to proposal for termination which is given then the person has 15 days to respond as why they should not be terminated. This is the procedure for non probational personnel.

[mirrodie]

Thanks TSA that your idiots can't even watch a lane :oops:


Whoa, Incoming missiles from EMSHighway. :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:

Just playing.

I'm glad to hear that the person responsible is most likely to be terminated.
That is unsettling though that they don't know WHO went through the area and left again.


What I am trying to figure out is how exactly did they realize this person had come AND gone.

[Matt Molnar]

What I am trying to figure out is how exactly did they realize this person had come AND gone.
A person waiting to meet an arriving passenger saw the man go through the door and reported it to authorities. Reportedly the TSA agent manning the door had been distracted by another passenger asking a question.

The big problem: They didn't lock down the airport until two hours later. The guy had been gone for an hour and 40 minutes by then, and surely flights had boarded and left in that time.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/0 ... _airp.html (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/security_breach_at_newark_airp.html)

[Gerard]

My sister departed at 4:30 on DL792 to AMS
Thank goodness she avoided this mess.

One of my co-workers brother was already on a plane bound for Miami when he had to get off. He was on
a 7:30 flight that was already delayed an hour. He arrived in Miami around 7AM. What a nightmare!!!

[darlyn]

About the most unsettling aspect of this is the amazing incompetence shown by the Thousands Standing Around. Great job proving yet again that an entire agency is staffed by fools and overseen by equally slow administrators. Hiring all those half-illiterate highschool dropouts backfired in the predictably worst way. I'm glad the TSA hasn't been provided with firearms yet. It would be the taser abuse controversy all over again and several orders of magnitude more deadly.

Security theater indeed.

[coachrowsey]

[quote="darlyn". I'm glad the TSA hasn't been provided with firearms yet. .[/quote]

Pray that never happens.

[emshighway]

About the most unsettling aspect of this is the amazing incompetence shown by the Thousands Standing Around. Great job proving yet again that an entire agency is staffed by fools and overseen by equally slow administrators. Hiring all those half-illiterate highschool dropouts backfired in the predictably worst way. I'm glad the TSA hasn't been provided with firearms yet. It would be the taser abuse controversy all over again and several orders of magnitude more deadly.

Security theater indeed.

Well since some people are a low posters and probably new and don't know all the characters here we will take this as ignorance. Let's just say it is easy for some people to sit behind a keyboard and spout such comments such as above who probably have less education then the people they comment about.

There are TSA personnel who are armed. The TSA was stood up in a very small time hiring over 50,000 screening personnel within three months. Many of those have degrees and even doctorates. Everyone knows of the issues TSA has had but something I say is look at how screwed up other agencies are that have been in existence for 100-200 years. The TSA is just catching up quickly.

Congress has lessened the amount of screening personnel to 43,000. TSA HQ, trying to squeeze as much as they can out of that, have imposed a percentage that needs to be part timers. Basically you get what you paid for with part timers.

Typing launch sequence in...

[coachrowsey]

EMS:
I'm sure your heart is in the right place & that you are a good guy, but you've got to admit this whole thing was screwed up big time. IMO the govt. needs to get out of it all together.

[emshighway]

Never said it wasn't. The TSO was inattentive and will pay with his job.

The CCTV system, while funded by the TSA, is owned, operated and maintained by the PANYNJ.

[moose135]

IMO the govt. needs to get out of it all together.
A hundred years ago, I worked security down at Pan Am at JFK. I was mostly at the hangars, but occasionally went up to the terminal. I was employed by a private security company, which hired minimum wage guards, and we had about 5 minutes of training...talk about your "half-illiterate high school dropouts"...stories I could tell you would keep you up nights. As EMS said, you get what you pay for.

[emshighway]

IMO the govt. needs to get out of it all together.
A hundred years ago, I worked security down at Pan Am at JFK. I was mostly at the hangars, but occasionally went up to the terminal. I was employed by a private security company, which hired minimum wage guards, and we had about 5 minutes of training...talk about your "half-illiterate high school dropouts"...stories I could tell you would keep you up nights. As EMS said, you get what you pay for.

TSA Officers do go through a lot of training. They are mandated to do three hours of training a week. The problem with going back to private companies or handing it back to the airlines is the private companies are all about the $$. The airlines are more worried about getting the passenger ($$) on the plane. It has been proven the airlines would pressure the private companies they hired to "hurry up" the lines at the sake of security.

[emshighway]

Video of the breach thanks to Senetor Lautenberg

http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/TSA ... WR-SEC.wmv (http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/TSA-Video_1-7-10_EWR-SEC.wmv)

and the You Tube version

LfBOObjI-QU

[emshighway]

Interesting piece by Kip Hawley in today’s Washington Post. Could indirectly be positioning himself to return.

After connecting the dots on terror, we need to act
01/08/2010
Washington Post
By Kip Hawley

President Obama has ordered intelligence reports to be distributed more rapidly and more widely because the events around Northwest Flight 253 show that "this was a failure to connect and share the intelligence we already had." Better technology at security checkpoints is a needed and obvious next step after a man got on a Detroit-bound flight with a bomb. Identifying and fixing the failure points are rightly at the top of America's agenda. We run the danger, however, of letting those important discussions distract us from seeing the far simpler improvements that are available.

The major remaining vulnerability in passenger screening is clearly our ability to detect objects carried on the body. Whole-body imagers are the best option for closing that gap. This is well known, as was the methodology al-Qaeda employed with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Some raise privacy objections to these machines, which are not equipped to store images. The passengers being screened are not personally visible or known to the screeners. Last January the Transportation Security Administration had a plan to balance privacy protections and achieve widespread deployment of whole-body imagers. Any new Congress and administration have a great deal to address, but this issue should be at the top of the list. They should discuss, decide and deploy.

A summary report the White House released Thursday said that "intentional redundancy" in capabilities of the CIA and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) "should have added an additional layer of protection in uncovering a plot like the failed attack on December 25." As we learn more about the failures at the CIA and NCTC in this case, we must remember that there are two reformers at the helm of those organizations, Leon Panetta and Mike Leiter, and that lasting change takes time, particularly in government.


We have good people in our system and we need to keep them. The news this week of a third uninvited guest at the White House state dinner once again brought criticism of the Secret Service. The easy way to make such an issue go away, some argued, is to sacrifice someone -- in this case, agency director Mark Sullivan. Were that to happen, the very person who is equipped and motivated to dig deep and fix the problem, would be taken out. Sullivan put together the most innovative and effective security system for the most complex election and inauguration in our country's history. He is also a progressive leader, bringing diversity and new energy to the Secret Service's vital mission.

We need to identify the Sullivans, Panettas and Leiters, lock them into long-term commitments and give them unflinching support as they battle on our behalf. The FBI sets a good example on this score. It is not immune to systemic failure, and Director Bob Mueller has used every minute of his tenure to drive needed culture and technological change. He probably needs 10 more years. So, we must fight the instinct to seize upon a scapegoat.

On watch lists, the path is clear. The mechanics of the system already work well: Based on new intelligence, a person can be added, and thus banned from flying, within minutes. It would not be hard to broaden the definitions of the two watch-list designations that affect aviation security ("no-fly" and "selectee"). But two critical additional components must not be overlooked: The TSA's nascent Secure Flight program, which will take limited passenger data from the airlines, will address most concerns about innocent passengers being wrongly listed because their names are similar to those of suspects. Secure Flight's timetable needs to be accelerated before the watch lists are broadened, or the Obama administration will be caught in the same credibility-destroying firestorm over wrong names that plagued the TSA years ago.

We must also make the watch lists multinational. The pieces are in place; we just need to make the deal with our allies in counterterrorism. This was done on a regional basis in the Caribbean during the Cricket World Cup in 2007. Our current blunt instrument, giving extra screening for those with certain passports, is not useful in the long term. Al-Qaeda has hundreds of Western operatives with clean records and passports, and after this initial emergency period, we should be more precise with extra-screening criteria.

In my experience, the counterterrorism community does a brilliant job of getting and sharing the dots. The challenge is knowing when to act on them. As threat information comes in, those with operational responsibility consider actions to disrupt a potential threat. All too often, the qualifiers in the reporting -- words such as "non-credible," "not imminent," "non-viable" -- give a false sense that it is too soon to act. In those cases, prudent analytical caution can stay the hand of a preemptive move until the only options are reactive.

I am often asked why we can't have an aviation security system more like Israel's. We can and we should. But the key ingredient of Israeli security is not that their technology or staffers are better -- they are not. It's not profiling or having just one international airport. It is willpower. Israelis as a nation have coalesced around the fact that they are in a deadly generational conflict that extends to their everyday activities, such as traveling. Attacks and casualties are unavoidable, yet unflinching determination and take-the-offensive mentalities are hallmarks of Israel's reaction. Because of this fundamental national consensus, when there are security breaches Israel does not wander down self-destructive paths, more focused on sound bites than results.

The United States must come together and recognize that this battlefield is not someplace far away, battles fought by somebody else. We are all involved and at risk.

The writer was head of the Transportation Security Administration from July 2005 to January 2009.

[emshighway]

By BRIAN THOMPSON and HASANI GITTENS
Updated 9:38 PM EST, Fri, Jan 8, 2010
ap

Got him!
Port Authority police have caught the man they believe was the intruder who caused a security breach that shut down Continental Airlines' Terminal C at Newark airport Sunday night, NBCNewYork has learned.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says 28-year-old Haisong Jiang of Piscataway was taken into custody at 7:30 p.m. Friday at his home.

Jiang is being questioned at a building on the airport property.

Earlier in the week, authorities enlisted the public's help in nabbing the interloper.

The surveillance video showing the man behind the airport breach last weekend was released by New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg on Thursday.

It showed a man in a tan jacket waiting at the exit-way where passengers from arriving planes leave the terminal.

The man seems to wait impatiently -- then, when the security guard minding the exit walks away -- for over half-a-minute -- the man meets up with an exiting woman and goes back into the terminal. They seem to be smiling and happy, with no ulterior motives. Perhaps they wanted just one last goodbye kiss.

But the security breach was certainly serious.

“The release of this video will give law enforcement another tool to help find the person who breached the security gate at Newark Liberty Airport,” said Lautenberg. “I encourage this individual or anyone with knowledge of his identity to immediately contact law enforcement.

Minute by minute, the six-minute video (above) was broken down as follows: 1:01: TSA officer asks unidentified man to move away from secure area. 4:54: TSA officer leaves his post. 5:31: unidentified man enters secure area.

The breach sent the airport into lockdown mode for more than six hours last Sunday, stranding thousands of passengers.

“It is unacceptable that the Port Authority took so long to produce this tape, but now that it is public we have a better chance of getting to the bottom of this major security incident," said Lautenberg.

The TSA called the video a "hard lesson."

"The surveillance video from Newark Liberty Airport clearly shows that a TSA Officer's actions led to the Sunday incident. We will use this hard lesson to reinforce the sharp focus and tight discipline at all our stations across the country and ensure we maintain the public trust," an agency spokeswoman said in a statement.

Officials had asked ask that anyone with knowledge as to the identity of the man in the video contact Port Authority investigators.

The guard is on administrative leave and facing possible disciplinary action.

[emshighway]

PA Statement on Newark Airport Security Breach Arrest

For Immediate Release
January 8, 2010

The Port Authority released the following statement in relation to the January 3, 2010 Newark Airport security breach arrest:

"At 7:30 pm Friday, January 8, 2010, Port Authority Police detectives arrested the suspect believed to have breached a TSA checkpoint at Newark International Airport on Sunday, January 3.

Haisong Jiang of Piscataway NJ, date of birth 12-04-81, will be charged with Defiant Trespass.

The charges were determined in coordination with the Essex County Prosecutor's office and federal officials."


Contact:
Port Authority Media Relations Department, 212-435-7777

[Gerard]

PA Statement on Newark Airport Security Breach Arrest

For Immediate Release
January 8, 2010

The Port Authority released the following statement in relation to the January 3, 2010 Newark Airport security breach arrest:

"At 7:30 pm Friday, January 8, 2010, Port Authority Police detectives arrested the suspect believed to have breached a TSA checkpoint at Newark International Airport on Sunday, January 3.

Haisong Jiang of Piscataway NJ, date of birth 12-04-81, will be charged with Defiant Trespass.

The charges were determined in coordination with the Essex County Prosecutor's office and federal officials."


Contact:
Port Authority Media Relations Department, 212-435-7777

This guy will probably get more jail time than the 9/11 terrorists being brought up here for trial.
Boy were they determined to get this poor schmuck since he embarassed the crap out of them. Hopefully they expend that much energy to go after real perps.

[Mateo]

This guy will probably get more jail time than the 9/11 terrorists being brought up here for trial.
Boy were they determined to get this poor schmuck since he embarassed the crap out of them. Hopefully they expend that much energy to go after real perps.Hey, is that a guy with a pair of binoculars and a notepad? Git 'em!

[Gerard]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/201 ... rport.html (http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/01/08/2010-01-08_new_jersey_man_arrested_over_security_breach_at _newark_liberty_airport.html)

Nice, 6 detectives worked on this and they catch a love struck student who excercized bad judgement.
Fine him, give him a stern warning and send him on his way.

[mirrodie]

Perhaps we should rename the thread, "THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE"

[Mateo]

A perp walk for defiant trespass? Got to love Port cops. They got their man!

[coachrowsey]

Perhaps we should rename the thread, "THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE"

I agree. I hope it was worth it :lol: :lol:

[SengaB]

I wonder how long that woman will stick around while he rots in jail. Maybe she will get charged too for assisting in criminal behavior. That way they should both be ready to hook back up when they get out.

This will be the latest spectacle the masses crave.
Senga

[Matt Molnar]

A perp walk for defiant trespass? Got to love Port cops. They got their man!
Big event for them...they don't get to go off reservation to arrest people very often.

[Matt Molnar]

I wonder how long that woman will stick around while he rots in jail.
No jail, max penalty is a $500 fine.

Sen. Lautenberg, however, is pressuring prosecutors to find some jailable offenses to charge him with. Which would be disgusting, IMO.

Even the current charge is a bit over the top and can probably be beaten if he chooses to, though defending it will be a lot more expensive than just paying it. I guess the main consideration would be whether or not he'll be branded with a criminal record.

Here is the NJ statute for defiant trespass:

b. Defiant trespasser. A person commits a petty disorderly persons offense if, knowing that he is not licensed or privileged to do so, he enters or remains in any place as to which notice against trespass is given by:

(1) Actual communication to the actor; or

(2) Posting in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders; or

(3) Fencing or other enclosure manifestly designed to exclude intruders.

1. No actual communication because the guard was nowhere to be found. Furthermore, he could argue that the absence of a guard made him think it was okay to go where he was going.
2. Defense can argue signage was inadequate.
3. Queue ropes are not designed to exclude intruders, only to direct people in an orderly fashion.

Any idea if they've made any changes to this area since the incident? I read that there are now two guards posted there, but are there more DO NOT ENTER signs or anything?

[emshighway]

I wonder how long that woman will stick around while he rots in jail.
No jail, max penalty is a $500 fine.

Sen. Lautenberg, however, is pressuring prosecutors to find some jailable offenses to charge him with. Which would be disgusting, IMO.

Even the current charge is a bit over the top and can probably be beaten if he chooses to, though defending it will be a lot more expensive than just paying it. I guess the main consideration would be whether or not he'll be branded with a criminal record.

Here is the NJ statute for defiant trespass:

b. Defiant trespasser. A person commits a petty disorderly persons offense if, knowing that he is not licensed or privileged to do so, he enters or remains in any place as to which notice against trespass is given by:

(1) Actual communication to the actor; or

(2) Posting in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders; or

(3) Fencing or other enclosure manifestly designed to exclude intruders.

1. No actual communication because the guard was nowhere to be found. Furthermore, he could argue that the absence of a guard made him think it was okay to go where he was going.
2. Defense can argue signage was inadequate.
3. Queue ropes are not designed to exclude intruders, only to direct people in an orderly fashion.

Any idea if they've made any changes to this area since the incident? I read that there are now two guards posted there, but are there more DO NOT ENTER signs or anything?

(1) Actual communication to the actor; or
TSA Officer previously told him to leave the area

(2) Posting in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders; or
There are signs up for no entry, There are a lot more but there were signs.

(3) Fencing or other enclosure manifestly designed to exclude intruders. [/quote]
Stanchions are used to control the flow also removable barriers need to be placed for fire code reasons.

[Gerard]

A perp walk for defiant trespass? Got to love Port cops. They got their man!
Big event for them...they don't to go off reservation to arrest people very often.

Yeah and they busted a master criminal. :lol:

[Gerard]

[quote="GothamSpotter"][quote="SengaB"]
Sen. Lautenberg, however, is pressuring prosecutors to find some jailable offenses to charge him with. Which would be disgusting, IMO.

Another blowhard in the tradition of Peter King. These guys just love to hear themselves talk.