7 hours Ago
A Pennsylvania man was stopped at Newark Airport after TSA detected a live turtle hidden in his pants during security screening. The man was barred from boarding, and the turtle was confiscated. A Pennsylvania man was escorted from the checkpoint area at a New Jersey airport after he pulled out a live turtle – about 5 inches (12 centimetres) long, from his pants.
The incident happened on March 7, when the passenger was going through security at the airport. The turtle was detected after a body scanner alarm went off at Newark Liberty International Airport, the Associated Press reported. A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer then conducted a pat-down on the East Stroudsburg man and determined there was something concealed in the groin area of his pants.
Upon being questioned, the man, according to the report, reached into his pants and pulled out the turtle, wrapped in a small blue towel. He said it was a red-ear slider turtle, a species that is popular as a pet. The identity of the man, who was not allowed to board the flight, was not revealed.
Later, the turtle was confiscated. It was not confirmed if the turtle was the man’s pet or why he had hid it in his pants. Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey was quoted by AP as saying, “We have seen travellers try to conceal knives and other weapons on their person, in their shoes and in their luggage, however, I believe this is the first time we have come across someone who was concealing a live animal down the front of his pants.
" “As best as we could tell, the turtle was not harmed by the man’s actions," Carter added..
