Prior to September 11, 2001, American airports were relatively lax with their security. It wasn’t uncommon to walk a loved one all the way to their gate, watch them board and even stay until the flight took off.
But since then, American airport security has clamped down hard, and those days of walking to the gate are long gone. As one man would learn, breaching airport security is no petty matter…
Shut Down
It was a breach of security that shut down one of the largest airports in New Jersey. Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the biggest airports in the United States and one cold January, it was shut down entirely for the better part of six hours. Around 1,600 people were stuck in the airport for the duration and dozens of flights were delayed.
Breach Of Security
The delayed flights and rampant customer dissatisfaction caused an incalculable loss of money for the airlines and disrupted the system tremendously. The breach, which was unknown at first to many of the stranded passengers, seemed to have stemmed from a single individual, finding their way under the security’s radar…
Search For The Man
The incident also prompted an intensive manhunt for the culprit, who made his way out of the airport in the chaos. New Jersey detectives patrolled the streets of Piscataway, New Jersey looking for the man. They only had a grainy surveillance image to go off of, but they were confident they’d find him.
At The Gym
They eventually tracked down the man and figured out who he was. The 28-year-old was a Rutgers University graduate student and had been born in China. Yet, when they arrived at his home, he wasn’t there. He’d apparently gone to the local gym to workout for the afternoon…
Under Arrest
Haisong Jiang was doing well in life, he had a girlfriend, was nearly done with grad school, and was coming back from a great workout when he noticed that there were a bunch of police cars outside his house. He came inside to find officers standing by, waiting to arrest him.
I Need A Lawyer?
They put Haisong in cuffs and read hims his rights, but at first didn’t deign to tell him why they were arresting him. Indeed, when questioned about their friend, most of Jiang’s roommates described him as a good guy, gentle, even rather romantic. But, the most important thing to Haisong Jiang wasn’t his personality, it was the fact that he needed a lawyer…
Goodbye Kiss
When Haisong finally found out the reason that he’d been arrested, he couldn’t believe it. Apparently, he had slipped past a security guard into a secured section of Newark’s C Terminal to kiss and hug his girlfriend goodbye before she flew out. It was that kiss which had stopped the entire airport.
Away From His Post
Mr. Jiang had managed to slide through most of security in his attempt to bid farewell to his lady love, including getting past law enforcement official Ruben Hernandez, who had left his post. Ruben faces severe disciplinary action for his dereliction of duty, but Haisong may face much worse…
Lock It Down
With Ruben Hernandez away from his post, Jiang sprang into action, catching up to his lady love in the puffy winter coat and kissing her passionately. A few moments later, security officials were alerted that someone had breached a secure area. Without missing a beat, the entire security team took steps to lock down the terminal.
Not Just A Romantic Gesture
To Jiang, this was a romantic gesture, one the likes of which he’d only seen in movies. Yet this was no innocuous, romantic act, instead, the incident simply proved once again how a single lapse in airport security can create bedlam. And in the wake of a failed plane bombing around Christmas of that year, someone had to be held accountable….
His Girlfriend
Ning Huang, 33, is a former Rutgers graduate student and a friend of Jiang. When asked about the woman in the video, she explained that the woman in the puffy coat was indeed his girlfriend, though she didn’t want to provide her name. She too is a former Rutgers student who lives in LA.
Just Saying Goodbye
“He loves her very much,” explained Huang, while standing outside the two-story house that he and Jiang share with five roommates. He tried to plead with police, telling them that his friend was just saying goodbye to his girlfriend, and that it was a very emotional moment, he didn’t realize the consequences of his actions…
Defiant Trespass
But his actions, however romantic, did have consequences. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have said that Jiang will be charged with defiant trespass. He was released on his own recognizance but now has to appear in Newark Municipal Court.
No Reason
Many New Jersey government officials believe that the idea of defiant trespass, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail, is what they’d call a “petty disorderly persons offense.” They also added that they don’t believe the case should be prosecuted in federal court, with the exception of one incensed New Jersey lawmaker…
Make An Example
Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, of New Jersey, has said publicly that he wants the United States attorney’s office to consider bringing federal charges against Jiang. In his mind, the penalty “is hardly noteworthy and would not discourage people who want to break through the perimeter.”
Ruining His Future
Jiang, who comes from the Jiangxi province of China, has plans to find a job in Los Angeles once he finishes his postdoctoral thesis in Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine. That way he can be closer to the woman he loves. But sadly, all this could affect his future in unforeseen ways…
Lots Of Trouble
The senator went on to add that all the trouble that resulted from the security breach, from the grounded planes, to the stymied passengers, the countless man hours trying to fix schedules, and the police trying to track Jiang down, far outweighs the potential punishment. Thankfully for Jiang, the senator’s plea for greater punishment was ultimately ignored.
Punishment
In the end, whatever else that kiss may have sealed, it certainly sealed Haisong Jiang’s fate. He had to work off 100 hours of community service for his crime by helping to ladle out food for the less fortunate in a soup kitchen near his home. A reasonable price for all the trouble he had caused, however inadvertently….
Released
Though Jiang has not spoken publicly since his arrest, he has since gone on to finish his thesis and move to LA. It’s been a bumpy road, but he finally was able to put the whole unpleasantness behind him.
Tale To Tell
Despite all they’d been through, Jiang is glad he did what he did, though he admits he never meant to cause so much disruption with his simple goodbye kiss. He’s glad because now he and his girlfriend have one heck of a story to tell their grandchildren one day.
