Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Man Caught With Cat-Shaped Brass Knuckles, Gun At JFK
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Apr 17, 2014
Modified Apr 17, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy TSA
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Apr 17, 2014
Modified Apr 17, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
There are many things you cannot bring on an airplane in this post-9/11 world, things that include (but are not limited to) normal-sized containers of liquids, ski poles, bags of knives, stun guns, real guns and weapons used in hand-to-hand combat, no matter how adorably-shaped said weapons may be. Yesterday, an unwise Pennsylvania man allegedly attempted to flaunt these rules by trying to bring a gun and brass knuckles aboard a flight out of JFK. Luckily, he was caught by the prying eyes of the TSA's security machines, and he has since been arrested.
According to authorities, 55-year-old Richard Forti, a Lebanon County, Pa. resident, was attempting to board a Los Angeles-bound flight at JFK yesterday morning. However, while going through security, he put a vest of his through one of the TSA's pesky X-Ray machines. That vest allegedly happened to harbor a loaded semi-automatic .32 caliber handgun in one of its pockets, and authorities say more thorough search of his belongings yielded a set of "cat-eye" brass knuckles, because these are casual things you bring to keep yourself occupied on a transnational voyage now that United makes you pay for in-flight entertainment.
Needless to say, Forti, who cops say was not licensed to carry the gun in New York or Pennsylvania, was arrested, and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on weapons charges. The TSA tells us this was the third firearm they've recovered from a passenger this year. Please do not bring one or several weaponry items onto a plane—it's hard enough getting toothpaste through security.
Tagged
brass knucles
gun
JFK
plane
tsa
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
Two people who were found soaking wet and smelling of sewage say they went underground to look for jewelry, according to police and a criminal complaint.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 7:49 p.m. ET
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
News
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
By
Carol Chen
Inside the Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild: Decks over Lincoln Tunnel approach, a new park
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Black couple seeking Queens apartment sues over racist text from broker
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .