Transportation Security Administration officers at Newark Liberty International Airport stopped a man from bringing six smoke grenades onto an airplane when they were detected in his carry-on bag at one of the airport checkpoints on June 16.
The items, while not illegal, “are certainly prohibited from being brought onto an airplane because if released, smoke would fill the cabin and cause panic among the passengers and crew and possibly get into the cockpit,” explained Christopher Murgia, TSA’s New Jersey deputy federal security director. “It’s quite shocking that someone thought he could bring them on the plane at all because something like that is not even allowed in a checked bag.”
The TSA officer who was staffing the checkpoint X-ray monitor identified the carry-on bag as needing further inspection and it was pulled off of the conveyor belt to be opened. Upon closer inspection, the TSA officer who was conducting the bag search spotted the six smoke grenades neatly wrapped inside bubble wrap.
“This is a perfect example of what a fine job our TSA officers do,” Murgia said. “The officer staffing the X-ray machine spotted something unusual and called for the bag to be opened and inspected. It certainly turned out to be the right call.”
The passenger was able to hand off the smoke grenades to a non-traveling companion and was permitted to catch his flight to the Dominican Republic, minus the smoke grenades.
