Police are investigating a breach in security at a New York City airport earlier this month when an unidentified man trespassed on a taxiway and warned a cargo worker not to say anything, according to Port Authority Police.
Responding to a report of an unauthorized person walking without visible identification, a member of Lufthansa Cargo personnel approached a suspect on the taxiway at John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 13 and asked for identification, according to a police report obtained from an official with direct knowledge of the investigation.
The suspect held a white piece of paper and approached the cargo worker, indicating that he was looking for the A train, which is a New York City subway line. The suspect then used profanity warning the worker not to say anything, the report said.
The incident occurred at 6:50 p.m., and the suspect is described in the report as a white male, estimated 5’9″, 185 lbs with dark hair wearing gray pants and gray sweatshirt.
The suspect then walked toward Terminal 8 where the worker lost sight of him. Police have not identified the suspect.
A canvas of gates 32, 34 and Terminal 8 did not locate the suspect, the report said.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs security at the airport, provided the following statement:
“We had a report from an employee of the incident on December 13. Employees saw a man who did not display proper identification and inquired as to the reason for his presence in the area. The man responded but showed no id and left the area. PAPD responded, swept the area using canines etc and deemed the area safe. Presently, detectives are reviewing CCTV and interviewing potential witnesses. No incidents were reported at the time of the aforementioned on Sunday. The investigation continues.”
There was a brief hold in airport operations as the area was swept and the investigation began, said PAPD spokesman Joe Pentangelo, adding that per the FAA, the hold was 30 minutes.
