PlayStation Causes Panicked Airport Evacuation

Damaged console wasn't recognized in luggage X-ray
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 18, 2022 4:33 PM CDT
PlayStation Causes Panicked Airport Evacuation
   (Getty/Elijah-Lovkoff)

Passengers didn't know the reason, but the instructions over the PA in Logan Airport were clear. "You have to exit, this is mandatory," they were told Sunday afternoon. The evacuation was quick but not orderly, NBC News reports. People left their belongings and began running for the exits in a panic, one passenger said. "Right out of nowhere, I see the whole crowd, people yelling and screaming like it was out of a movie," said Nico Pisello. "No one knows what’s going on." Luggage X-rays had detected what appeared to be a suspicious object. It turned out to be harmless.

Officials said a PlayStation video game console had sparked the fuss. It was in a "degraded condition caused by age or damage," Massachusetts State Police said, which made it look odd when X-rayed before it was to go onto a Delta Air Lines flight, per MassLive. So a bomb squad was brought in. A video on Twitter shows an evacuation at one exit that was more calm. About an hour after being told to leave Terminal A, people were allowed back in. (More airport security stories.)

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