"Newark Airport Worker Triggers Security Concerns"

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Airport worker triggers shutdown
BY RON MARSICO
The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger


Exactly five years after terrorists got past security at Newark Liberty
International Airport, authorities shut down a section of Terminal C
yesterday morning when a Continental Airlines employee allowed a relative to
bypass a checkpoint, officials said. 

The incident began at about 7:40 a.m. when the worker, Guiseppe Gervasio,
used his airport identification swipe card to open an access door to bring
his brother-in-law to a secure gate area, authorities said. The relative
then tried to board a flight without a boarding pass, but was stopped by a
gate agent, authorities said. 

Port Authority police immediately confiscated Gervasio's ID card, said Marc
La Vorgna, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,
which operates the airport. 

"It's the most aggressive step we can take," he said. 

The breach came on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks,
when terrorists gained access to four commercial planes by passing through
security checkpoints at three airports, including Newark. United Airlines
Flight 93, en route from Newark to San Francisco, crashed into a field in
Shanksville, Pa., after passengers tried to retake the plane from
terrorists. 

Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration, said yesterday's breach delayed eight departing Continental
flights after authorities closed part of the terminal at about 9:20 a.m. 

Police and bomb-sniffing dogs made a sweep of the area, which was reopened
at 10:15 a.m., she said. 

After bypassing security, Gervasio's brother-in-law, who was not identified,
tried to get onto a flight to Orlando, Fla., without a boarding pass, Davis
said. 

He then "admitted to the gate agent that a relative worked for Continental
and escorted him through a Terminal C access door, thereby circumventing the
screening process," Davis said. The gate agent immediately notified
authorities, she said. 

"Every airport and airline employee plays a critical role in maintaining the
security of the airport and upholding the regulations designed to prevent
another catastrophic event," Davis said. "Helping a traveler circumvent
security, on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 of all days, not only violates
federal security directives, but brazenly disregards the innumerable strides
TSA and its airport and airline partners have made in the last five years." 

Davis said Continental faces possible disciplinary action because of the
breach. 

She described Gervasio as a "load planner," who is responsible for ensuring
that weight is properly distributed on an aircraft before takeoff. The Port
Authority took no action against Gervasio's brother-in-law. 

David Messing, a Continental spokesman, said the airline is investigating
the incident. He did not release any additional information about Gervasio,
including how long he has worked for the airline. 

"We have strict procedures that our employees must adhere to," said Messing.


Gervasio faces possible disciplinary action "based on the outcome of our
investigation," he said.

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