Suspicious Shoe Cobbling Spotted at TSA Checkpoint
Workforce Stories
The shoe with a hole in the tongue that had been sewn to hide a knife.
In a case that illustrates why air travelers must remove their shoes at the checkpoint, watchful TSOs discovered a knife artfully concealed in the tongue of a shoe this week at Stewart International Airport, New Windsor, N.Y.
As a pair of shoes passed through X-ray screening TSO April Lewis noticed something out of the ordinary and called for TSO James Roche to conduct a physical search. It appeared the tongue of the shoe had been cut and then sewn back together. Upon closer scrutiny a knife with a 2-inch blade was found concealed in the tongue.
STSO John Hansen interviewed the male passenger, a minor, who admitted the knife was his. He said he put it in his sneaker for “self protection when he goes to the mall.” New York State Police were called to interview the passenger. The knife was secured, but no charges were filed. The boy’s parents were quite upset with their son, Hansen said.
