I’ve never understood the stuff people leave behind at airport security, be it laptops, wallets, or phones. Newark airport on Monday night, however, appears to be the first time that anyone has left a snake behind.
The officer placed a grey checkpoint bin over the thin black snake, which sports a bright yellow band around the back of its neck and is considered harmless, the TSA said in a news release.
The checkpoint lane was closed and passengers asked to clear the area. Port Authority police secured the snake and took it away, which allowed TSA to re-open the lane shortly after.
TSA Agents in Charlotte Watch News of the TSA’s Failure to Detect Weapons and Bombs, Instead of Searching for Weapons and Bombs (HT: Tocqueville)
There are a few things worth pointing out about this story.
- Someone brought a snake to the airport. Presumably they intended to bring snakes on a plane.
- The TSA didn’t even notice the snake. It had to be pointed out to them “by a young girl.”
While the TSA has never caught a terrorist, they’ve finally caught a snake.
(HT: Paul H)
They should hire the “young girl” as a consultant.
It sounds like a ring neck snake (Diadophus punctatus), a harmless very small snake from much of the US and parts of Canada. I’ve found them under rocks in the woods in Connecticut and they are gorgeous. I would be smarter than to leave one at security though .
More important they busted someone with a full bottle of Evian and carted them off to jail