Toddler Rescued From 'Extremely Dangerous' Incident at Newark Airport
A 2-year-old was at the center of an "extremely dangerous" incident at Newark Liberty International Airport last week.
Last Wednesday, a toddler got onto the baggage conveyor near the JetBlue ticketing counter on the departures level. This conveyor was heading to an X-ray machine, per a report from NJ.com.
The Port Authority police were immediately alerted about this incident. It didn't take long for two officers to find the child in the checked baggage room on the lower level. Thankfully, this story doesn't have a tragic ending
Despite how dangerous this situation was for the toddler, no injuries were reported.
"Two Port Authority cops rescued a toddler who wandered onto a luggage conveyor belt in Terminal A, Newark Liberty International Airport," the Port Authority Policeman’s Benevolent Association said. "The cops, realizing the danger the child was in, without hesitation, entered the conveyor system and, after about four minutes, located the child who was headed for an x-ray machine."
Keith Jeffries, the vice president for K2 Security Screening Group, explained just how fortunate this toddler was to avoid a fatal blow.
"You've got diverters back there that are actually these gigantic pushers or levers, if you will, that will shove those bags down the appropriate conveyor belt, and that alone can be fatal for a small child."
A similar situation unfolded in 2021 when a 9-year-old boy climbed onto an airport luggage belt at the Minneapolis Airport. He eventually jumped off the belt near the screening area.