Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - Jet Skier Thwarts $100 Million JFK Security

http://gothamist.com/2012/08/12/soggy_jet_skier_inadvertently_thwar.php


"Diseases and heroin hair treatment products aren't the only thing that can slip into JFK Airport undetected—so can soggy, bright-yellow life jacket-wearing jet skiers from Howard Beach! According to the Post, Daniel Casillo, 31, inadvertently walked through two runways and into a terminal at JFK, bypassing all of their state-of-the-art security systems. "

:D

"The Port Authority PBA has been concerned about the failure of the PIDS system for quite some time. We have brought this to the attention of former Executive Director Chris Ward, who failed to act,” said Robert Egbert, spokesman for the PA PBA."

:D

Money well spent it seems :D

First or second story on all the NY area news I heard this morning on the way in

After a night of partying with pals, sinking his jet ski and swimming to shore, Daniel <<ermoved>>, 31, of Howard Beach strolled undetected across two runways and into a terminal.

Neither motion sensors nor closed-circuit cameras of the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System, or PIDS, detected Daniel, who was only busted when he approached a startled Delta Airlines worker near Gate 10.

Earlier that night, Daniel had been drinking at a Rosedale watering hole with his buds when they decided to go out racing their personal watercraft.
Daniel got separated from his partners as darkness fell, and then his jet ski conked out -- so he swam 3 miles to a runway at the airport.

Daniel -- in a bright yellow life vest -- climbed the eight-foot tall perimeter fence and made it all the way to Terminal 3 without anyone noticing.

Once apprehended, he was charged with criminal trespass.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/demand_for_probe_in_jet_ski_jfk_UFuNAhuG9hmJDnXlO3 UbGM#ixzz23QnebqDM

And the story from the day before in the Post is here

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/beach_of_security_myuqHts7oxoZxoQWFyljyJ?utm_mediu m=rss&utm_content=Local

Being inside Delta's T3 at JFK for more than 5 minutes should be considered time served.

But seriously, this further highlights to the stupidity of current DHS policies when it comes to airport security. The spendthrift policies have shown no real gains in actually making things safer. To charge Mr. Casillo with a crime is further confirmation of the police state we have become. He had no malicious intent and simply did what any level headed person would do to save themselves in an emergency.

...To charge Mr. Casillo with a crime is further confirmation of the police state we have become. He had no malicious intent and simply did what any level headed person would do to save themselves in an emergency.Absolutely. We have become a nation of cowards and idiots. :mad:

Bruce

Nice. Not taken to the hospital for examination, but instead, thrown in jail. Great. :rolleyes:

After swimming 3 miles -- and drunk, besides!!! He's in better shape than I am.

Bruce

After swimming 3 miles -- and drunk, besides!!! He's in better shape than I am.

Bruce

Once ashore, he climbed over a 8' fence topped with barbed wire. Assuming he was able to take the shortest route to T3, he hiked across runway 13R/33L, taxiway bravo, taxiway alpha, onto the ramp and into the terminal. That's probably another half a mile. If he started at the blastpad for 4L/22R, that's about a 2 miles walk. All he needed to do was hop on a train home to complete the airport survival triathlon.

Swimming 3 miles in those waters at night....he's lucky to still have all his limbs attached, he's the luckiest guy around. Charged with criminal trespass? How about ensuring he is ok and taking him to the hospital for treatment?

I guess this is how the idiots at DHS and PANYNJ respond when they're made to look like bumbling morons in public....yet again....and again...and again.

For making my morning, I'm in for free legal research or some bail money.

Who is in charge of this $100 mil system? They should arrest him too! :D

If it happened as described....

I commend the individual for choosing living by swimming 3 miles vs dying by drowning and it looks like PANY and associated flunkies need to go back to the drawing board.

If there is "more to the story", then throw the book at him but PANY and assorted flunkies STILL need to go back to the drawing board

should be interesting

kind of illustrates how silly security (government) spending can get

i was going to say "what was he supposed to do, drown?"
until i looked at map >
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=jfk&ll=40.640791,-73.785896&spn=0.094046,0.137501&client=safari&oe=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=us&hq=jfk&hnear=jfk&cid=0,0,17028024512003641840&t=h&z=13&iwloc=A
so where exactly was he?

Absolutely. We have become a nation of cowards and idiots. :mad:

Bruce

+1

I'm sure he was arrested ":rolleyes:ut of an abundance of caution."

Only ones that should be charged in this are Raytheon and the Port Authority.

Looks like the $100M terrorist identification system worked...he wasn't a terrorist and it didn't identify him as such. :rolleyes:

I'm guessing the Post's fact-checkers don't have access to a map, because unless he was swimming in circles, I don't think there is anywhere in Jamaica Bay where you can swim 3 miles to JFK without going right by other populated land or roadways. I suppose it's remotely possible that he simply swam toward the brightest lights (which would have been the airport). But still...

I'm guessing the Post's fact-checkers don't have access to a map, because unless he was swimming in circles, I don't think there is anywhere in Jamaica Bay where you can swim 3 miles to JFK without going right by other populated land or roadways. I suppose it's remotely possible that he simply swam toward the brightest lights (which would have been the airport). But still...

He does claim that he swam toward the brightest lights. Can't really blame him given the situation. Apparently the first thing he said was "I need help." and they helped him by arresting him. :rolleyes:

From the comments on the OP link:

"why weren't there some sharks with fricken laser beams swimming in the waters around the airport? Seems to me the 100 million dollar system should have included sharks with fricken laser beams attached to their heads."

:D^

AP:

Port Authority police interrogated Casillo and charged him with criminal trespassing. Authorities said the airport grounds were clearly marked with no-trespassing signs that indicate it is a "restricted area for authorized ! personne l only."

Damn, even the signs didn't work, the last defense against a hundred million dollar security system.

"The catastrophic failure was that nobody sounded the alarm to go to condition red intruder alert," said former New York City Detective Nicholas Casale, who was deputy director of security for counterterrorism at the New York metropolitan area's transit agency.

"Immediately there should've been an armed response. Heavy weapons, armored cars to the area that the perimeter was breached. The airport should have been locked down."

Imagine the chaos that would have caused if they had to clear the airport and search every possible area he was in?

And I suppose sending armored cars would have been considerably more effective if they actually saw him do it, and not after the drunk guy ran out of gas, swam for some distance, climbed a fence and walked another couple of miles.

Mr Casale also states, and I tend to agree with him here

“I think he should be given dinner and a bottle of champagne for showing us our faults,” said Nicholas Casale, a New York Police Department veteran and former Metropolitan Transportation Authority deputy security director for counterterrorism.

At least when skydivers accidentally landed at a US submarine base the other day (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2018913010_apussubmarinebaseskydivers.html) the military acted in a sane manner and, "Released the jumpers after verifying their identities," instead :rolleyes:f arresting them.

At least when skydivers accidentally landed at a US submarine base the other day (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2018913010_apussubmarinebaseskydivers.html) the military acted in a sane manner and, "Released the jumpers after verifying their identities," instead :rolleyes:f arresting them.

Yeah, but that's a submarine base and the cold war is over. This is an airport for Chrissaskes, a black hole for constitutional rights and common sense. After all it's populated with nothing but terrorists, wannabe terrorists, perps and perps Pistole hasn't caught yet.
If we're truly serious about an abundance of caution, how we could we possibly accept anyone getting to the sterile :rolleyes: area without 3 ID checks, 20 questions and a scope and grope?

....I'm checking topo maps now for best jet ski access routes to my home airport (OKC)........if I ride down the Oklahoma River through downtown following the training route of the Olympic rowing teams, then up a creek along Meridian Ave., past the FAA air traffic controllers training facility, and a few laps of the airport rainwater retention pond......should get me closer to the planes than where I usually park......

The man deserves to be compensated for showing their is no security. The TSA is a joke. Now with my remark I am sure all my flyertalk posts, email, communication will get read as a possible threat person level 3.:roll eyes:

Swimming 3 miles in those waters at night....he's lucky to still have all his limbs attached, he's the luckiest guy around. Charged with criminal trespass? How about ensuring he is ok and taking him to the hospital for treatment?

I guess this is how the idiots at DHS and PANYNJ respond when they're made to look like bumbling morons in public....yet again....and again...and again.

When you encounter a fence like that you should follow it, not go over it. I think it's reasonable to charge him.

I'm guessing the Post's fact-checkers don't have access to a map, because unless he was swimming in circles, I don't think there is anywhere in Jamaica Bay where you can swim 3 miles to JFK without going right by other populated land or roadways. I suppose it's remotely possible that he simply swam toward the brightest lights (which would have been the airport). But still...

At night how would you know where land was unless it was nearby? Swim towards light.

When you encounter a fence like that you should follow it, not go over it. I think it's reasonable to charge him.

You have no idea what it takes to swim 3 miles (not in a pool.) I'm more amazed that he's alive and could climb that fence. He has a 0% chance of being convicted by a jury if he's smart enough to demand one.

At night how would you know where land was unless it was nearby? Swim towards light.

I have no idea what the area is like - could he have gotten out at any point? Was there any kind of current? Both of those things (bad exit point, current) could play a factor in where he got out.

You have no idea what it takes to swim 3 miles (not in a pool.) I'm more amazed that he's alive and could climb that fence. He has a 0% chance of being convicted by a jury if he's smart enough to demand one.

That's about the only smart thing he did that night, he was smart enough to actually put on a life jacket, and leave it on.

You have no idea what it takes to swim 3 miles (not in a pool.) I'm more amazed that he's alive and could climb that fence. He has a 0% chance of being convicted by a jury if he's smart enough to demand one.

^ I've done just over a mile in a half-Ironman once. Broad daylight, I hadn't been drinking...towards the end, I started to bonk - I kept swimming in circles and losing my orientation. When I walked out of the water, it took me several minutes to even realize what I was doing.

This guy had been drinking and it was at night. If you haven't been in a similar situation, you have no idea how clearly he might or might not have been thinking. Based on my experience (and a couple similar ones, although not in the water), what he did isn't so strange. You get out, you're exhausted and lost, you're focused on lights in the distance ahead, there's a fence in the way, perhaps a fence that seems to be stretching as far as you can see in both directions. You take the shortest line available - over/under the fence towards the lights.

The man deserves to be compensated for showing their is no security. The TSA is a joke. Now with my remark I am sure all my flyertalk posts, email, communication will get read as a possible threat person level 3.:roll eyes:
TSA has nothing to do with the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System. This is on PANYNJ and Raytheon, the vendor which is responsible for it. The PIDS has never actually worked, from what I understand.

You have no idea what it takes to swim 3 miles (not in a pool.) I'm more amazed that he's alive and could climb that fence. He has a 0% chance of being convicted by a jury if he's smart enough to demand one.

Are you saying the fence is in the water??? If so, I'll change my opinion.

TSA has nothing to do with the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System. This is on PANYNJ and Raytheon, the vendor which is responsible for it. The PIDS has never actually worked, from what I understand.

TSA approves the airports security plan. The plan failed, TSA failed.

Are you saying the fence is in the water??? If so, I'll change my opinion.

No, the fence is not in the water, but take a loot at a view of the airport. The distance from those houses at the far left(west) of the picture, on the opposite side of the basin from the runway, to the opposite side of the basin at the far right side of the picture(east) is 4.1 miles. The distance from the shoreline to a terminal anywhere along that length from the intersection of the 2 runways is less than 1/4 mile.

http://wpjrnl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/wpid1472-jfk-airport-aerial-view.jpg

How far offshore was he when he lost the jetski?

TSA approves the airports security plan. The plan failed, TSA failed.
Yeah, ok. :rolleyes:

Yeah, ok. :rolleyes:

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr;sid=fee7d5a3d0c627ed53c28883dd646f3f;rg n=div5;view=text;node=49%3A9.1.3.5.10;idno=49;cc=e cfr#49:9.1.3.5.10.1.10.2


1542.101 General requirements.
top
(a) No person may operate an airport subject to §1542.103 unless it adopts and carries out a security program that—

(1) Provides for the safety and security of persons and property on an aircraft operating in air transportation or intrastate air transportation against an act of criminal violence, aircraft piracy, and the introduction of an unauthorized weapon, explosive, or incendiary onto an aircraft;

(2) Is in writing and is signed by the airport operator;

(3) Includes the applicable items listed in §1542.103;

(4) Includes an index organized in the same subject area sequence as §1542.103; and

(5) Has been approved by TSA.

(b) Each airport operator subject to §1542.103 must maintain one current and complete copy of its security program and provide a copy to TSA upon request.

(c) Each airport operator subject to §1542.103 must—

(1) Restrict the distribution, disclosure, and availability of sensitive security information (SSI), as defined in part 1520 of this chapter, to persons with a need to know; and

(2) Refer all requests for SSI by other persons to TSA.

[67 FR 8355, Feb. 22, 2002, as amended at 71 FR 30509, May 26, 2006]

Are you saying the fence is in the water??? If so, I'll change my opinion.

Nope. Try swimming 3 miles, get out of the water, and climb an 8 foot fence, at night. I'll personally award you a medal.

Have they dropped the charges yet? I believe that's inevitable.

Bruce

Nope. Try swimming 3 miles, get out of the water, and climb an 8 foot fence, at night. I'll personally award you a medal.

I still don't see your point.

He went for a long swim, got out of the water and found a secure fence.

He chose to climb it rather than follow it. Why??

I still don't see your point.

He went for a long swim, got out of the water and found a secure fence.

He chose to climb it rather than follow it. Why??Because he was desperate to find help and the closest (by far) things he could see were visible bey:eek:nd the fence.

I still don't see your point.

He went for a long swim, got out of the water and found a secure fence.

He chose to climb it rather than follow it. Why??

It really isn't that hard to figure out. He could see people, activity and knew there were emergency personnel very close by. If he goes however far east or west, he had no idea how far, he's still unsure of what kind of help he will find.

If he'd just gone ALONG the fence instead of THROUGH it, they could have just arrested him without all the witnesses and fuss and 3 page thread on FT...

If he'd just gone ALONG the fence instead of THROUGH it, they could have just arrested him without all the witnesses and fuss and 3 page thread on FT...

They wouldn't have arrested him at all. Walking around would probably be another 4 miles. I'd do the same thing, except I would have drowned by then.

Because he was desperate to find help and the closest (by far) things he could see were visible bey:eek:nd the fence.

It wasn't--he walked for miles after going over the fence.

They wouldn't have arrested him at all. Walking around would probably be another 4 miles. I'd do the same thing, except I would have drowned by then.

How do you drown on land?

They wouldn't have arrested him at all. Walking around would probably be another 4 miles. I'd do the same thing, except I would have drowned by then.

No, they would have arrested him on attempted surveillance or testing a secure area or some such BS.

How do you drown on land?

I would have drowned trying to swim 3 miles.

Assuming that the charges aren't dropped before it gets to trial, I'd be fairly surprised if the guy gets convicted. Although it may (or may not) be proven that he used poor judgement by climbing a fence and walking across active(?) runways, etc, poor judgement in and of itself is not a crime. He was doing what he thought was best during an emergency and while impaired by alcohol and fatugue. He was also actively seeking the authorities, not trying to avoid them, which would show a lack of specific intent to break the law. This is where the judge/jury would have to determine the difference between letter of the law and spirit of the law. He clearly did the act (climbed the fence, etc) but his intent was not to commit a crime; His intent was to get help.

Is there a video of him climbing this fence? There was story a few days later about how the gate to the fence was just standing open. Who's to say he didn't just walk right in??

This story has gotten a bit more interesting in the past few days.

Thursday afternoon WNBC reported

The lost jet-skier who was able to breach security at Kennedy Airport by scaling an 8-foot barbed wire fence and walking across two runways into a terminal had been on the police radar after being reported missing by friends at least 15 minutes before, NBC 4 New York has learned.

An internal investigation is now underway to determine how the Port Authority handled the information about the missing jet skier, sources said.

An apparent lack of official police mobilization sheds some light on why 32-year-old Danny Casillo ended up at the Kennedy Airport terminal on Aug. 12, dripping wet and wearing a life jacket. His jet ski had run out of fuel in Jamaica Bay, and Casillo swam toward Kennedy's runway 4L, which juts out into the bay.

He then climbed the 8-foot fence that is part of the airport's state-of-the-art Perimeter Intrusion Detection system and made his way across two intersecting runways – an estimated distance of nearly two miles – before he was spotted on a terminal ramp by a Delta employee and was eventually detained.

So they knew that there was a lost boater in the area and one would think you would ramp up the cameras, not for security, but to see if you could help should he make it to shore.

It's too bad they didn't run into any officers while they were looking. No wait

Port Authority police had known there was a missing jet skier on Jamaica Bay: Sources tell NBC 4 New York that when Casillo's friends searched for him on the water, they encountered as many as a dozen Port Authority police officers who were in the middle of a training exercise on a boat.

The officers asked Casillo's friends what they were doing on the bay, and they explained Casillo was missing.

Whoopsie.

Port Authority police also did notify the U.S. Coast Guard at 10 p.m. that "a fishing boat had picked up two jet-skiers, who reported a third was missing." But the Coast Guard says shortly after it initiated a search, Port Authority Police contacted them again at 10:15 p.m. to inform them a "man was in custody." The Coast Guard canceled its search.

The number of failures in this case just keeps mounting and mounting.

If the timing is right, and they were alerted at 10 and caught him at 10:15, by the time they were alerted (not sure why the other two were picked up by a fishing boat, unless they too were in distress) he would have already been at the terminal, assuming it took ten or fifteen minutes for the employee to call the PAPD and for them to respond.

He walked up to a Delta worker, then asked for help. Nobody including the PA caught him walking all the way up to the terminal and it was not 10:15 either, try somewhere around 12:000am when they called Mr.Casillo's girlfriend to confirm that he had been found. Everything you have read or heard is a complete distortion from the truth of what really happened that evening.