NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A New Jersey senator says the potential punishment for the man accused of touching off an airport security alert is too lenient.
The man believed to have breached security at Newark Liberty Airport to bid his girlfriend goodbye faces a non-federal trespassing charge and a fine of up to $500.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg says there should be a much harsher penalty for triggering the shutdown of a busy airport terminal that led to snarled flights worldwide.
The man was arrested yesterday in New Jersey and released after questioning early this morning.
His roommate says suspect Haisong Jiang was born in China and is a doctoral student in a joint molecular biosciences program at Rutgers University.
Paul Loriquet of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office says the suspect is due to appear in Newark municipal court next week.
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