JFK Airport worker charged with having loaded gun, TSA says

An airport retail worker was arrested on Thursday morning at JFK after Transportation Security Administration officers discovered a loaded handgun in his backpack, the TSA announced earlier.

Anthony Clarke of Queens was headed to his job when officers spotted the .32 caliber revolver inside the backpack's front pocket during a routine X-ray machine scan at a Terminal 5 security checkpoint, according to the criminal complaint and TSA officials.

 TSA workers secured the weapon and alerted Port Authority Police, who arrested him while seizing the firearm loaded with four bullets.

During the incident, Clarke allegedly told the Port Authority officer, "I didn't even know it was in there," the complaint states.

Clarke, 20, also had his airport security identification badge confiscated during the arrest, according to TSA officials. He is not allowed to work at the terminal without a badge.

He was charged in Queens Criminal Court Friday with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a felony, and with misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, according to his criminal complaint. His Legal Aid attorney, Naira Grigoryan, declined to comment when reached by phone.

Clarke also faces federal penalties related to having weapons at an airport checkpoint, according to the TSA. Those fees can be as high as $15,000.

“This was a good catch on the part of our TSA officers,” John Essig, TSA’s federal security director at JFK, said in a statement.

The arrest comes as the TSA screened nearly 2.8 million travelers nationwide Thursday during the Fourth of July travel period, according to Essig. 

“It’s busy out there and when someone brings a prohibited or illegal item such as a firearm to an airport security checkpoint, it slows things down for everyone else,” he added. 

This is the sixth firearm that TSA officers have detected at JFK checkpoints so far this year. 

Last year, seven guns were seized from carry-on bags at JFK.

Nationwide, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints last year, according to the TSA. Of those, 88% were loaded.

In the release, the TSA reminded passengers that even flyers with concealed carry permits are not allowed to bring firearms on an airplane. The agency may issue a civil penalty to passengers with gun or gun parts at security checkpoints.