A Manhasset man was one of three men arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday after expandable batons were found in their carry-on and checked luggage, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Chris Reale, 46, was detained at around 9:22 a.m. after a screening equipment allegedly detected the baton in his checked baggage, while Robert Lorenzo, 42, of Little Neck and Hector Aquino, 48, of Fayetteville, N.C. were arrested an hour earlier after their bags passed through X-ray machines.
Each was apprehended by Port Authority police. The three men, who TSA officials said were each ticketed to fly on different airlines to different airports, were put up on state weapons charges.
“Batons are illegal in New York; they are dangerous impact weapons used to strike another person,” the TSA said in a release following the arrests. “They also are known as expandable batons, telescopic batons, retractable batons and tactical batons. They are typically constructed from heavy metal tubing which collapses together for carrying and can expand to full length with a flick of the wrist.”
