JFK Security Breach: What happened at the TSA Precheck checkpoint?

Impact

Eleven people, including three who set off the metal detectors, passed through a TSA security checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York without being screened Monday, the New York Post reported.

"The screening lane was unmanned, but passengers didn't know, so they started going through it," a source told the Post.

According to the Post, TSA agents used images from security footage in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the passengers, after which they contacted the Port Authority Police Department. By the time Port Authority police arrived, the passengers had already boarded their flights. Three were identified as passengers on a San Francisco-bound flight and were screened after their plane landed.

"Early reports indicate three passengers did not receive required secondary screening after alarming the walk through metal detector," the TSA said, noting that carry-on bags were appropriately screened and "a K9 team was present at the checkpoint at the time of the incident," the Post reported.

According to WNBC, the Transportation Security Administration released a statement assuring travelers it "works with a network of security layers both seen and unseen" and that although 11 passengers breezed through the TSA checkpoint without being screened, "this incident presents no threat to the aviation transportation system."

"Once our review is complete, TSA will discipline and retrain employees as appropriate," the agency said.