The Newark TSA agent who allowed an unidentified man to enter the secure zone through an exit, setting off an hours-long alert, had stopped the interloper just minutes before and was chatting on his phone when the man breached security. The man kissed a departing traveler goodbye and then went after her, attempting to cross into a restricted area, and was stopped by Ruben Hernandez, the New York Post reports.
When he tried again, the woman helped him cross the barrier and the distracted agent didn't stop them, reports the Newark Star-Ledger. "After viewing video of the security breach, I am even more outraged by the lapse that occurred," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who blasted TSA for not making the video available. Hernandez is now on indefinite administrative leave. (More Newark Liberty International Airport stories.)