Dallas

Man Leaves Car Curbside, Boards Flight Without Ticket: Authorities

TSA investigating security breach, adds barriers

The Transportation Security Administration is investigating how a man slipped past security and boarded a passenger plane without a ticket at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Sunday night.

Officials with the D/FW Airport Department of Public Safety said a 26-year-old man parked his car curbside at Terminal D and somehow slipped past security and into the terminal.

The man, who has not been identified, then boarded a flight, but was soon removed from the plane, arrested and charged with criminal trespassing after a gate agent called airport security.

How the man slipped past federal employees has not yet been disclosed by officials, however they did release the following statement Monday afternoon.

"TSA is reviewing the incident and is working closely with the airport, local law enforcement and stakeholders to ensure that all of our checkpoints at DFW reflect optimal security configurations. Immediately following this incident, TSA made adjustments to the DFW screening area and has added more barriers, and is working to identify other long-term solutions that may require physical adjustments to the area. As always, TSA continually evaluates checkpoint configurations and passenger flows at all our airports to ensure physical security."

When the man entered the terminal, investigators said he left his vehicle parked curbside at the terminal — sparking a security response.

While officials poured over the vehicle, airport visitors were redirected to Terminal D entrances at D16 and D40. The man's vehicle was later found to pose no threat and the the all-clear was given at about 9:30 p.m.

The flight the man wanted to take was delayed, but all other flights operated on a normal schedule, airport officials said.

NBC 5's Ken Kalthoff, Frank Heinz, Todd L. Davis and Brian Roth contributed to this report.

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