Odds and endsTrial date set for Newark Airport's hopeless romantic
Rutgers graduate student breached Newark Airport security by entering a secure area to kiss his girlfriend one last time before she boarded a plane; the trial was set for 9 March; New Jersey lawmakers want tougher penalties for such breaches
Haisong Jiang in custody following his 3 January security breach at Newark Airport // Source: nydailynews.com
The 28-year-old Rutgers graduate student that froze time at Newark Airport last month after breaching security to give his girlfriend a kiss before boarding has finally had his (first) day in court. Haisong Jiang was charged with defiant trespass after a surveillance video showed him slipping into a secured area, a move that shut down terminal C and delayed hundreds of travelers on 3 January.
Jiang pleaded not guilty, and can only receive a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for the low-level offense. The New York Times reported back from the New Jersey courthouse where the kissing bandit’s lawyer said his client would gladly serve community service to work off the penalty.
He told the press, “He’s simply a lovesick young man who made a mistake. Obviously, he regrets that mistake.”
Gothamist reports that for a low level offense, there has been a lot of attention surrounding the incident since it put a spotlight on airport security (in the video from that day a Transportation Security Administration officer can be seen walking away from his post). Yesterday, new Jersey assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer said she planned to introduce legislation in the Assembly tomorrow that would bring tougher penalties for the kind of breach; if that legislation were in place now, Jiang would be facing three months in jail and $15,000 in fines. As of now, his case is recessed until 9 March.
