Eleven passengers strolled through a security lane at John F. Kennedy, without being screened on Monday, after TSA agents left the area unsupervised.
Instead of following protocol and notifying Port Authority cops, it took the TSA two hours to tell police about the frightening breach.
The unidentified travellers are believed to have boarded flights to unknown destinations.
Officials from the TSA said the agency was confident that the 11 passengers posed no threat to the airport or their respective flights. Also, the TSA said it would investigate the incident, discipline those responsible and use the incident as a way to better educate its employees.
Media reports suggested that the security breach occurred in Terminal 5 of JFK airport at 6:05 a.m. local time, but TSA agents at the facility waited two hours before notifying police. The Port Authority Police Department said this was a violation of protocol, which requires TSA officers to contact authorities immediately.
After notifying police, TSA agents and the Port Authority reviewed photos and video screen grabs from security cameras in Terminal 5, but they were unable to locate any of the 11 passengers who bypassed the screening process.
