Horror as toddler found riding baggage conveyer belt at embattled airport
The toddler snuck behind a JetBlue ticketing counter at Newark Liberty International Airport while his parents weren't looking, and onto a conveyer belt where baggage are checked in.
He rode the conveyer belt to the checked bag room on the lower level of the airport in New Jersey on Wednesday, according to officials.
As soon as adults realized the small child was missing, two officers with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the airport, jumped on the belt.
'The two cops were able to move fast into the system, which was vital,' Port Authority Police PBA President Frank Conti told Pix11.
'There was a split in the belts. One officer went toward one direction, one toward the other direction.'
An officer then saw the toddler approaching an X-ray unit.
He was rescued and unharmed, but medical responders examined him to make sure.
The situation was 'extremely dangerous,' said Keith Jeffries, who is vice president for K2 Security Screening Group.
'You've got diverters back there that are actually these gigantic pushers or levers, if you will, that will shove those bags down the appropriate conveyor belt, and that alone can be fatal for a small child,' he told ABC News.
The toddler was rescued more than nine months after a 57-year-old woman was found dead after getting tangled up in a baggage claim conveyer belt at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
The terrifying incident happened at the airport that has made national headlines in recent months for having many canceled or delayed flights due to a shortage of air traffic controllers and runway construction.
On more than one occasion, controllers lost radar communications with planes for about 90 seconds.
The issues lead to United Airlines, which has Newark airport as a hub, to cut back numerous routes going in and out from there.
On Monday, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the runway at Newark that was closed for repairs had reopened two weeks ahead of schedule.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: US suggests Palestinian state should be in the French Riviera
MORE: Map shows where northern lights will be visible tonight in the US
MORE: Flight path overhaul revealed – here's what it means journey times and delays
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
11 hours ago
- The National
Petition to have IDF branded terrorist group tops 4000 signatures
Signatories have called on Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (below) to proscribe the Israeli Defence Forces for 'large-scale, deliberate acts of violence against civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank'. (Image: Jacob King/PA Wire) The petitioners said it was their 'sincerely held belief that the atrocities and tactics used by the [IDF] are designed to inflict terror' under the definition set out in the Terrorism Act 2000. The Act defines terrorism as the use or threat of violence or serious damage to propert intended to influence the government, an international governmental organisation, the public or a section of the public 'sincerely held belief that the atrocities and tactics used by the [IDF] are designed to inflict terror'. READ MORE: The 26 MPs who voted against proscribing Palestine Action The IDF has perpetrated a genocide in Gaza, with the stated aim of removing Hamas, the Islamist group which controls the Palestinian territory, from power. The petition adds: 'We believe the IDF has met multiple criteria within this definition, and that its actions pose a threat to the safety and security of civilians. 'The Terrorism Act 2000 explicitly states that acts of terrorism committed outside the UK still fall under its definition and can be grounds for proscription.' (Image: Supplied) The petition alludes to the UK Government's proscription of Palestine Action under the same Act, with MPs making it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison, for belonging to or expressing support for the group. READ MORE: BBC drops 'high risk' live performances following Bob Vylan Glastonbury set The petitioners said: 'We would like to highlight the hypocrisy of branding non-violent action against genocide as 'terrorism', whilst providing material support to what we believe are ACTUAL acts of terror, perpetrated daily by the 'IDF'. 'And we call on the Home Secretary, (if she is truly intent on tackling terrorism and not simply using the term to suppress dissent), to proscribe the 'IDF' as a terrorist entity, as laid out above.
Daily Record
13 hours ago
- Daily Record
Palestine Action ban could 'undermine efforts to counter real terrorist organisations'
Trade unionists in Scotland have questioned why MPs voted to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. Scots trade unionists have warned a vote to proscribe Palestine Action could "undermine efforts to counter real terrorist organisations". MPs voted by an overwhelming majority last night to ban the activist group after it broke into an RAF base in England and spray-painted several aircraft. Six people were later arrested after Palestine Action shared footage of the break-in on social media. The group previously broke into a Thales defence factory in Glasgow in 2022, causing £1,130,783 in damages using pyrotechnics and smoke bombs. The decision to ban Palestine Action, which amends the Terrorism Act 2000, is expected to be signed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and come into effect later this week. Once in effect, supporting Palestine Action will become a criminal offence, with membership or expressing support for the direct action group punishable by up to 14 years in prison. But the decision has been questioned by the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC). Dave Moxham, STUC Deputy General Secretary, told the Record: "It is one thing to oppose the activities of Palestine Action using the courts if laws are broken, but completely another to proscribe it as a terrorist organisation. "Last night's vote shifts the goal posts on the definition of terrorism. The Government is overreaching in a way that could have a profound impact on the rights of protest and freedom of expression. It also potentially undermines efforts to counter real terrorist organisations which advocate violence against the civilian population.' The Aberdeen Trades Union Council also questioned the ban and called for other Scottish trade union members to speak up on the issue. In a statement, it said: "Despite mass peaceful protest against the genocide in Gaza, the British State remains complicit in the erasure of the Palestinian people. "We stand in support of Palestine Action – a direct action group that has been protesting against the supply of weapons by the UK government to the Israeli Military. Spraying paint and breaking windows is not terrorism. Israel's genocidal war is. "We condemn government repression of the rights of protesters. As a movement we will do everything we can to defend civil disobedience and oppose Parliament's proscription of Palestine Action." Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, this week backed Cooper's decision to ban the group. "I'm all for freedom of speech. I'm all for freedom of protest. And people have been expressing their views very strongly," he told the Record. "But people who use the name of Palestine to cross a red line, to break into RAF facilities, to attempt to tamper with RAF jets, are doing a disservice to the cause they claim to represent. "There are so many phenomenal pro-Palestinian organisations who do not fall for acts of vandalism, or attacks on our defence infrastructure, or who fall into prejudice and hate, but who rightly speak out against violence and for peace - not just peace abroad, but peace and security here at home too. "Those people who use the name of Palestine to do such horrific actions should face the full force of the law. So I do support the actions of the Home Secretary."
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
MPs back move to proscribe Palestine Action as terrorist organisation
The motion is expected to be debated and voted on by the House of Lords on Thursday before it becomes law. Following an act of vandalism by the group Palestine Action at RAF Brize Norton, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper wanted to proscribe the group as a terrorist organisation. Doing so would make it an offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to belong to or support the group. She also cited an action by the group at the Thales factory in Glasgow which is said to have caused £1million of damage and frightened some staff. Read More Home Office minister Dan Jarvis has rejected claims the Government is 'rushing' through legislation. He told the Commons: 'The public attention it has garnered should not be confused with legitimacy, and nor should a group formed five years ago be conflated with the legitimate campaign for Palestinian rights and statehood which has existed in our country and in this House for more than five decades. 'Let me be clear, the proscription of Palestine Action does not seek to ban protest that supports Palestine. There are many ways in which people can continue to lawfully express their support for Palestine without being a member or a supporter of Palestine Action.' Jeremy Corbyn warned the decision will have a 'chilling effect on protests'. The Independent MP for Islington North said: 'Surely we should be looking at the issue that Palestine Action are concerned about, and the supply of weapons from this country to Israel, which has made all this possible. If this order goes through today, it will have a chilling effect on protests.' Labour MP Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside) said: 'We should all be able to agree that lumping Palestine Action together with the other two obscure groups to ensure that it is proscribed is a disgraceful manipulation of parliamentary procedure. 'Search in Hansard: neither of the two groups have been mentioned, they are so obscure, this manoeuvre is legally transparent and shows that the Government knows just how shaky proscription is.'
