A Chicago man’s nearly quarter-of-a-century friendship with his pet turtle, Colors, reached its pinnacle when he asked her to be a flower girl at his wedding.
NEWARK, N.J. – When it comes to airport security, it’s probably best to leave reptiles at home. Or, at the very least, in a proper carrier.
An East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, man discovered this firsthand last Friday at Newark Liberty International Airport. His attempt to smuggle a live turtle was thwarted when Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents found the reptile concealed in his pants.
While going through a security checkpoint, the man triggered a body scanner alarm in an area not typically associated with carry-on luggage, revealing the shelled stowaway. TSA officers, accustomed to finding concealed weapons, were surprised to discover a 5-inch red-ear slider turtle wrapped in a blue towel.
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Turtle that was concealed in a traveler’s pants at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday, March 7, 2025.
(Transportation Security Administration)
“I believe this is the first time we have come across someone who was concealing a live animal down the front of his pants,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s federal security director for New Jersey, who also commended the officer’s professionalism during the pat-down.
Unsurprisingly, the man missed his flight and was escorted out of the checkpoint by police.
Port Authority Police took custody of the turtle and are now working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local animal control, presumably to find the little guy a more spacious and less intimate living arrangement.
“As best as we could tell,” Carter added, “the turtle was not harmed.”