Police ID Man Accused Of Trying To Bring Loaded Gun On Flight

NEW WINDSOR, NY — Police identified the Florida man who was accused of trying to take a loaded handgun onto a flight out of New York Stewart International Airport in Orange County.

The New York State Police said Stephen J. Salton, 72, of Port Richey, Florida, was arrested around 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

He was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, police said. He also faces a possible civil penalty.

Salton was arraigned in the Orange County Court and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in the Town of New Windsor Court July 28.

Transportation Security Administration officers said they spotted Salton's handgun on the checkpoint X-ray monitor at Stewart as his belongings entered the machine.

The gun was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber, authorities said.

The TSA immediately alerted the state police, who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and arrested Salton.

Authorities said this was the second incident in July where a gun was detected at Stewart airport.

On July 5, a Poughkeepsie man told officials he forgot he had a loaded gun with him after a TSA officer saw the weapon on the X-ray machine's monitor at the checkpoint.

Guns can be transported on a flight, according to the TSA, if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and declared to the airline. The gun has to travel with checked baggage in the belly of the plane — never in the cabin of the plane.

The TSA has additional traveler information specifically related to the transportation of firearms and ammunition posted on its website. A full summary of TSA's civil penalties for prohibited items is also available online.