Security lapse at JFK airport leads to 11 passengers boarding flights without being screened

A security lapse at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport allowed 11 passengers to walk through a security checkpoint without being screened by TSA agents early Monday. But TSA officials say they are “confident” the unscreened individuals posed no threat.

According to the New York Post, 11 people walked through a TSA security line around 6 a.m. Monday in JFK’s Terminal 5 when TSA agents opened the screening lane without immediately assigning agents to man it.

Of the 11 people who made it through, three triggered the metal detector — but no one was around to stop them.

"The screening lane was unmanned, but passengers didn’t know, so they started going through it,” a law enforcement source told the Post.

Once other agents realized what had happened, they printed pictures of the individuals and searched for them in the terminal to no avail. Only after they failed to locate the individuals did a TSA supervisor inform the Port Authority Police Department of the major security breach — nearly two hours later.

But sending passenger screeners to locate an unscreened passenger in the terminal was also a breach of protocol, a law enforcement source told the New York Daily News.

"The TSA tried to mitigate the situation by sending their screeners through the terminal in violation of all the protocols," the person said. "The protocol says law enforcement is immediately notified."

PAPD authorities are to be informed immediately of a breach because they are specifically trained to handle the situation, the source added.

The three individuals who set off the metal detector alarm were eventually identified after they boarded their flight to San Fransisco. They were given additional screening once they arrived at their destination.

The other eight passengers, however, were never identified.

In a statement, the TSA said they are “reviewing” the incident.

“TSA works with a network of security layers both seen and unseen. We are confident this incident presents no threat to the aviation transportation system,” the statement read.

"Once our review is complete, TSA will discipline and retrain employees as appropriate,” the agency added.