A toddler ended up being swept up on the conveyor belt at the Newark airport in a shocking turn of events. The 2-year-old climbed onto the conveyor belt after his mother took her eyes off him briefly. Surprisingly, this is one of the many incidents that have been highlighted at the Newark airport.
The mother of the two-year-old was busy talking to a JetBlue employee. Last Wednesday, the mother lost sight of her son as she was attempting to rebook a flight. The child reportedly climbed onto the conveyor belt that is meant to collect luggage of passengers before takeoff.
The 2-year-old managed to stay on the belt until it reached the chute, which took him to the luggage screening area. Port Authority officers who were briefed about the situation quickly started searching for the toddler. Frank Conti, who is the Port Authority Police PBA President, spoke to Pix 11 to share exactly what happened.
“The two cops were able to move fast into the system, which was vital,” he recalled. Conti went on to explain how the belt split into two directions, which prompted one officer to go one way and the second one the other. The 2-year-old was found by one of the cops approaching an X-ray machine. The toddler made it out unharmed thanks to the officer who picked him up before he entered the machine.
A toddler was rescued by officers after getting on an airport baggage conveyor belt at Newark Liberty International Airport last week. @GioBenitez reports. pic.twitter.com/J7bh76d8kE
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 2, 2025
This isn’t the first time the Newark airport has made it into the news. For months now, the airport has been labelled to be a “delay-plagued hellhole.” Reports of a series of flight cancellations, speculation of the spread of an infectious disease, and ongoing construction disrupting operations have come out of the airport.
Another report also detailed how several FAA controllers have quit their jobs, which has led to dangerous blackouts at the airport’s control towers. The operations at the airport have taken a hit, considering that problems keep arising. A federal air safety employee previously even advised the public not to fly out of the particular airport, saying it’s “not safe,” as per The New York Post.
Reportedly, widespread panic was caused when air traffic controllers had to tackle 90 seconds of no radar and communications. The communications being down caused thousands of flights to get delayed, in turn, on April 28. Five air traffic controllers were driven to take a 45-day trauma leave after the incident. This isn’t the first time the air traffic controllers have had to deal with the terrifying scenario. Another communication blackout had occurred at the airport in November 2024.
Air travel nightmare. Total meltdown at Newark Liberty Airport. 8 hours to get baggage. 12 hours on the tarmac. Travelers delayed for days. Aviation experts say be prepared for this to keep happening. pic.twitter.com/prFUA8jCcb
— CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) April 29, 2025
In more recent news, two weeks ago, an announcement made by New Jersey health officials caused panic amongst passengers. The officials announced that the airport was potentially at risk of a measles outbreak.
A passenger who was travelling from Terminal B of the airport was diagnosed with the disease. “I don’t see a near-term immediate everything gets better [solution],” Kyle Bailey, who was a former Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team member, told The New York Post. Bailey went on to suggest that the only solution right now is to reduce daily flights.
