Man Accused Of Scaling Fence At Port Newark, Boarding Cargo Ship
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- An emotionally disturbed man breached security at one of the nation's busiest ports, boarded a ship and was found in the captain's cabin, authorities said.
Officials are trying to figure out why suspect Eric Carrero went unchallenged.
Authorities believe Carrero slipped past a manned guard booth at the FAPS auto transport terminal and scaled a barbed-wire-topped six-foot security fence at Port Newark in New Jersey on Wednesday.
1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reports
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A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official says Carrero wandered around before he boarded the cargo ship.
Carrero was discovered asleep in the captain's bed after about four hours, sources said.
A longshoreman had apparently spotted the man hopping the fence around 11 a.m. but assumed Carrero was a colleague and didn't think much else of it, sources told 1010 WINS.
Carrero also convinced two workers unloading Toyotas from the Andromeda Leader that he was the captain's nephew, despite not having identification, sources said.
After he was taken into custody, sources said Carrero told officials that he "hated this country and wanted to go to Germany."
Carrero is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
The investigation is ongoing.
FAPS General Manager William Mazur said the alleged breach highlights major security concerns at Port Newark.
It was the second security breach at a Port Authority facility this month. A man swam to John. F. Kennedy International Airport after his personal watercraft ran out of gas in Jamaica Bay.
Daniel Casillo, 31, was charged with criminal trespass after officials said he climbed over an 8-foot-high security fence, crossed two active runways and walked into Terminal 3.
Port Newark encompasses 180 acres and handles more than 600,000 shipping containers annually.
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