In a moment that recalls a Mae West line—”Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?”—TSA screeners at Newark Liberty Airport asked a man to explain a suspicious bulge in his pants, detected in a pat-dawn after he tripped an alarm.
The Pennsylvania man, whose name has not been released, dropped trou and pulled out a turtle wrapped in a blue towel. The turtle, about 5″ long, was apparently unharmed, and was identified by the man as a red-ear slider a common variety in North America.
TSA was escorted from the checkpoint by police, but not arrested, although he did miss his flight. The turtle was runed over to officials for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local animal control officials; no word on where it ended up.
TSA’s New Jersey Security Director, in a press release, said “We have seen travelers try to conceal knives and other weapons on their person, in their shoes and in their luggage, however I believe this is the first time we have come across someone who was concealing a live animal down the front of his pants. As best as we could tell, the turtle was not harmed by the man’s actions.”
