Airport worker busted with loaded gun at Newark: TSA

NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) --- An airport worker was fired for allegedly bringing a loaded gun to Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday, authorities said.

The man was arrested on weapons charges after the firearm was detected on an X-ray machine at a security checkpoint in Terminal C, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The gun was loaded with eight hollow-point bullets, officials said.

The TSA said the suspect worked at a company at the airport and was fired after the incident. The man also faces a $15,000 civil penalty for allegedly bringing the gun to the airport.

“Saturday was April Fool’s Day, but I can assure you that nobody was laughing when our officers detected a loaded gun. Bringing a firearm to a checkpoint is no joke,” Thomas Carter, TSA’s federal security director for New Jersey, said.

Authorities have confiscated four guns at Newark Aiport so far this year, compared to 14 last year.