QUEENS — A Pennsylvania man carrying a loaded gun and cat-shaped brass knuckles was arrested at JFK Airport, authorities said.
Richard Forti, 55, of Lebanon County, Penn., was going through a routine security check Wednesday when TSA agents noticed a loaded gun and a pair of cat-shaped brass knuckles inside his vest, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Forti, who was flying to Los Angeles, told police that the vest belonged to him and that he put the .32 caliber semi-automatic pistol and the brass knuckles in there for protection, the DA said.
“It is beyond comprehension why intelligent people would think that it is OK to board an airplane with a loaded gun on their person,” District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Forti was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, and he was awaiting arraignment at Queens Criminal Court, the DA said.
If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison, the DA added.