Authorities arrested an Ocean County man Saturday after he attempted to pass a loaded weapon through the security checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport.

According to a press release from the Transportation Security Administration, officers at Newark Airport's Terminal B detected a .25 caliber handgun, loaded with six hollow point rounds inside the backpack of Chad Wiegand, 35, of Lanoka Harbor. Authorities say the handgun was found inside a zippered case as Wiegand was attempting to pass the carry on bag through the x-ray machine on a conveyor belt of a security checkpoint at 11:30 p.m.

Port Authority Police responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and arrested the suspect, according to the press release. The man was ticketed to fly to Hong Kong. There was no impact to airport operations, the TSA said.

Wiegand was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun and unlawful possession of hollow point bullets. His bail was set at $35,000.

"As a reminder, weapons—including firearms, firearm parts and ammunition—are not permitted in carry-on bags. Travelers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to criminal charges from law enforcement and civil penalties from TSA of up to $11,000," the TSA said in the press release.

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