Pennsylvania Man caught with turtle hidden in his pants at NJ Airport

A man has been caught and tried to smuggle a turtle through the safety of the airport in a fairly unusual place.

Tuesday, March 11, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) revealed in a press release That the individual from Pennsylvania was caught with a turtle in the pants at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on March 7.

The discovery came after an alarm on a TSA body scanner was activated in man’s groin area.

“A TSA officer administered a pat-down of the area in the human body where the alarm triggered and thus established that there was something hidden in the area of ​​the human groin,” read the release.

Officials added: “On the question of whether there was something hidden in his pants, the man, a resident of East Stroudsburg, was sufficient.

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TSA officials said that the turtle was about 5 inches long, and the man told the staff that the reptile was a red turtle.

According to the publication, the man was questioned by Port Authority Police, who took the tortoise and “indicated that they would contact US Fish and Wildlife Service and local animal control officials. ”

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Officials said the man stopped missing his flight and was escorted out of the checkpoint by the police.

“I praise our officer who conducted Pat-Down in a very professional way in an attempt to solve the alarm,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey, in a statement. “We have seen travelers try to hide knives and other weapons on their person, in their shoes and in their luggage, but I think this is the first time we have come across someone who hides a living animal along the front of the pants.”

He added, “As good as we could say, the turtle was not damaged by human actions.”

People have contacted Newark Liberty International Airport and Port Authority Police for further comments.