Authorities at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey reported a harrowing yet fortunate incident where a 2-year-old child was rescued from a luggage conveyor belt, which could have been “fatal.” The New York and New Jersey Port Authority, which oversees the airport, stated that the event occurred on Wednesday, May 28th.
According to The New York Daily News, the child’s mother was attempting to rebook a flight at the JetBlue ticket counter on Concourse A when the toddler wandered off. The Port Authority reported that the child entered the conveyor belt system. NBC affiliate WNBC reported that the conveyor belt transported the child to the airport’s lower level, where the checked luggage is processed.
JetBlue staff alerted the Port Authority police, who sprang into action. “The officers, realizing the danger the child was in, wasted no time in entering the conveyor system and found the child heading towards the X-ray machine after about four minutes,” the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association (PBA) said in a social media post.
Frank Conti, President of the Port Authority PBA, further explained to CW affiliate WPIX that the situation unfolded quickly. “[There was a] crack in the belt under the chute,” Conti said. “One officer went one way, and one officer went the other. As the child approached one of the X-ray machines, one of them was able to spot the child.”
The Port Authority confirmed that the child was unharmed. As a precaution, emergency medical services were called, but the family declined further treatment. Keith Jeffries, Vice President of K2 Screening, told ABC affiliate WABC that the toddler was extremely lucky, considering the potential for severe injury. “You have diverters, which are essentially these huge pushers or levers that push the bags down the appropriate conveyor belt, and that alone could have been fatal for a small child,” Jeffries said.
