A 2-year-old somehow snuck behind the JetBlue ticket counter at Newark International Airport, and took a dangerous, potentially life-threatening ride to the checked baggage room. The toddler’s mom was trying to resolve an issue at the JetBlue ticket counter in Terminal A when the incident occurred, the New York Daily News reported.
As the mom attempted to rebook her flight, her toddler managed to get behind the ticket counter and get onto the baggage conveyor belt. At some point, a JetBlue employee alerted Port Authority officers about the missing toddler. Luckily, Port Authority officers were able to find and rescue the 2-year-old before anything super serious happened — but the child had already made it to the checked baggage room and was approaching the X-ray machine.
The officers reportedly recognized the seriousness of the situation and got on the conveyer belt to find the toddler instead of finding a door.
On Instagram, the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association wrote, “The cops, realizing the danger the child was in, without hesitation, entered the conveyor system and, after about four minutes, located the child who was headed for an x-ray machine.”
The New York Daily News identified the Port Authority Police officers as Angel Paulino and Joe DeSilvio. Thankfully, the 2-year-old wasn’t hurt, but EMS did respond to make sure the child was OK.
Still, Keith Jeffries, vice president for K2 Security Screening Group, stressed that this type of incident can be serious, per ABC 6. Keith said it’s “extremely dangerous” because there are “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.”
