Newark baggage conveyor belt carries away 2-year-old boy, officers spring into action

A 2-year-old boy was rescued from a luggage screening area at Newark Liberty International Airport last week. 

The child was swept away from a passenger luggage dropoff conveyor belt Wednesday evening while his mother was speaking with a JetBlue counter agent, reports say.

After falling down a chute to the lower level of the Terminal A checked baggage room, Port Authority Police Department officers went after him, according to local TV station PIX 11.

“The cops, realizing the danger the child was in, without hesitation, entered the conveyor system and, after about four minutes, located the child who was headed for an x-ray machine,” the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association Inc said of the incident in a social media post.

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The toddler’s grandfather told PIX 11 he was grateful to the officers who went after the boy, and that the boy and his mother were okay. 

Neither JetBlue nor the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey immediately got back to Fox News Digital requests for comment.

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The airport has been in the headlines for flight delays and air traffic control issues, but a closed runway reopened this week 13 days ahead of schedule, allowing regular runway operations to resume Monday.

The Port Authority, which oversees the airport, accelerated the construction schedule by bringing in additional crews, expanding shifts and enabling construction 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“I commend the crews who have worked tirelessly to get this critical project done ahead of schedule,” Gov. Phil Murphy said. “I’m grateful for New Jersey’s partnership with the Port Authority and the FAA as we work to return to full capacity at Newark Airport. New Jersey will do all we can to support plans from the [U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)] to invest in modernizing our air traffic control system and fully staffing our air traffic controllers.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.