NEWARK, N.J (WPIX) – Quick action by officers with the Port Authority Police Department prevented what could have been a dangerous situation after a toddler entered the checked baggage conveyor belt system in Terminal A at Newark Liberty Airport.
It happened on Wednesday, at around 6:30 p.m., according to the Port Authority. At the JetBlue counter inside the terminal, a mother was interacting with the agent behind the counter when her 2-year-old managed to get onto the conveyor belt next to, and behind, the counter.
“It was something that happened in the blink of an eye,” Frank Conti, the president of the Port Authority Police Department’s union, said of the incident.
The conveyor belt leads directly into a chute and into the terminal’s luggage screening system, which is exactly where the toddler plunged.
Port Authority officers who happened to be within earshot on the third floor of the terminal, where the mishap took place, quickly sprang into action.
The two cops were able to move into the system immediately, Conti said. The fact that they were a pair, he added, was vital.
“There was a split in the belts” down the chute, Conti explained. “One officer went toward one direction, one went toward the other direction. One of them was able to observe the child as the child was approaching one of the X-ray units” used to analyze luggage contents, Conti said.
Just before reaching the X-ray, the officer nabbed the toddler and pulled him to safety.
Nexstar’s WPIX reached the boy’s grandfather by phone, and he expressed appreciation to the cops who pulled the boy out of the luggage system. The boy and his mother are fine, his grandfather said. (Because of the victim’s age, WPIX is not disclosing their identities.)
The family, who lives in Staten Island, flew to Tampa, Florida, for vacation shortly after the incident was resolved, the grandfather said. But the most memorable part of the trip occurred before they even got on the plane, the man confirmed, referring to the conveyor belt incident.
The Port Authority will not be releasing the names of the officers involved, but Conti, the Port Authority Police Department PBA president, said their colleagues know who they are. The whole force appreciates the family’s thanks, he added.
“Gratitude can be few and far between at times,” Conti said, “so I’ll tell you what: I’ll take it where we can get it.”