A 59-year-old Pennsylvania man’s decision to bring a loaded gun in a New Jersey airport has landed him behind bars.
Robert Kellerman was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport after TSA screeners noticed a loaded gun in his carry-on bag. According to The Associated Press , Port Authority police officers placed the man under arrest at around 6 am on Sunday.
Authorities were summoned after Transportation Security Administration screeners found a loaded.22 pistol inside the man’s bag. The Star-Ledger reports that Kellerman has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.
Although the 59-year-old man admitted the weapon belonged to him, he explained he had no intention to use it. Kellerman told police that he simply forgot the loaded gun was in the bag when he entered the airport.
Despite tightened security at airports around the nation, people are still caught attempting to sneak loaded weapons onto flights all the time. In November of last year, 59-year-old Kelvin Jerome Simmons was busted by TSA screeners when they spotted firearm inside his carry-on bag.
According to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution , Simmons was arrested by area police and charged with carrying a weapon in an unauthorized location.
In September of 2012, a Florida woman forgot that she had stashed a loaded gun inside her purse before boarding a flight from Orlando International Airport to Newark Liberty Airport. However, TSA screeners failed to notice the gun when she was boarding the plane.
The Orlando Sentinel reports the woman didn’t realize she had the.380-caliber semi-automatic Ruger in her possession when arrived for her flight. She contacted Port Authority police to let them know about the situation. Since she came forward about the weapon, she wasn’t charged with any crimes. However, the gun in question was confiscated by police.
It’s unclear if Robert Kellerman will face any jail time for leaving a loaded gun in his carry-on bag at Newark Liberty International Airport.