A New York City man easily breached Kennedy International Airport's security system by walking undetected through two runways and into a terminal after becoming stranded on a personal watercraft in a nearby bay.
The New York Post reported on Monday that 31-year-old Daniel Casillo swam to shore and then walked past motion sensors and closed-circuit cameras of the airport's state-of-the-art Perimeter Intrusion Detection System.
The USD 100 million system is meant to safeguard against terrorists at one of the country's busiest airports. Casillo climbed a perimeter fence and made his way to Terminal 3. He approached a Delta Airlines worker, who alerted authorities. Casillo was charged with criminal trespass.
A man who answered the phone at the home of his girlfriend, Deanna Cowan, said the couple's lawyer had advised them to stop speaking to the media.
The Port Authority said in a statement Monday that it took immediate action to increase police patrols of the airport's perimeter.