2-Year-Old Rescued from Airport Luggage Conveyor Belt That Could Have Been 'Fatal,' Authorities Say

Some quick-thinking constabulary officers astatine New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport rescued an adventurous toddler who was connected a luggage conveyor loop past week. 

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees nan airport, said nan incident occurred connected Wednesday, May 28.

The child’s mother was reportedly attempting to re-book a formation astatine nan JetBlue summons antagonistic successful Terminal A connected nan departures level, per nan New York Daily News.

That was erstwhile nan two-year-old gained entree to nan conveyor belt, nan Port Authority said.

The conveyor loop was moving nan kid to nan checked baggage room connected nan airport’s little level, NBC connection WNBC reported. 

A JetBlue worker alerted Port Authority police, nan Daily News added. 

"The cops, realizing nan threat nan kid was in, without hesitation, entered nan conveyor strategy and, aft astir 4 minutes, located nan kid who was headed for an X-ray machine,” said nan Port Authority Police Benevolent Association (PBA) in a societal media post. 

Frank Conti, Port Authority PBA president, further told CW connection WPIX that nan incident unfolded quickly. 

“There was a divided successful nan belts [down nan chute],” Conti said. “One serviceman went toward 1 direction, 1 went toward nan different direction. One of them was capable to observe nan kid arsenic nan kid was approaching 1 of nan X-ray units.” 

The kid was not injured, said nan Port Authority. Emergency aesculapian services were summoned arsenic a precaution, and nan child’s family declined further aesculapian treatment.

The toddler was fortunate fixed nan imaginable consequence of harm, according to Keith Jeffries, vice president for K2 Security Screening Group, who told ABC connection WABC: “You've sewage diverters backmost location that are really these gigantic pushers aliases levers, if you will, that will shove those bags down nan due conveyor belt, and that unsocial tin beryllium fatal for a mini child."

PEOPLE contacted JetBlue for remark connected Monday, June 2.