I was grounded for weeks because of this!

Before I tell you my story, I just wanted to say wow! I had no idea there was a whole forum dedicated to NYC aviation! I am so excited that I finally have some help, I thought I was alone! I live in a residential neighborhood north of Newark Airport, and I am right in between Newark and Teterboro airports. Anyway, heres my story

Me being an aviation enthusiast ofcourse decided it was time to take a trip to Newark Airport to take some pictures of some planes, it is something I've always wanted to do.. Me being only 16 and not having a license, I took the NJ transit train to EWR, and I rode the monorails and enjoyed the nice shots of some planes at the gates.. but ofcourse this did not satisfy me.. So, basically what I did was from the very last monorail stop at the north area of the airport, I hiked around the perimiter, (I did not climb and fences, I stayed within boundarys), and I eventually found myself an hour later in the parking lot watching the 22L arrivals come in, and oh boy was I one happy camper :) This was about January 6th of this year, so imagine the temperatures were below freezing, and I was numb, but I didnt care, I was having too much fun! And then.. *dum dum dum* A Port Authority Police Officer approached me, but he was actually inside the fense, while I was outside, and he asked me to approach him, he questioned me what I was doing, I told him the truth, he asked to see my I.D. I showed him my highschool identification, and then next thing I know two more cops had come, only this time they approached behind me, and they had asked to see the pictures I had taken.. I showed them every single one.. I didnt hide anything, I was completely honest and open.. Now since I'm only 16.. by law they had to bring me in back to there head quarters and I had to get picked up by my parents.. I rode in the front of the police car.. not the back.. but ofcourse my mother was furious when she had arrived, but I still got to keep my pictures! It was a heck of a day.. the sad part is I want to go back so bad, but IM afraid that security might be a really big issue.. and i dont know im just skeptical!

First off welcome. I was introduced to this forum my self by a good friend(Art) who posts on here.

To say the least with airport security being what it is today not a good idea what you did even though it was harmless. The officers didn't know that untill they investigated & being truthful sat you free. I'm sure you learned a lesson or three that day :lol:

Welcome to the site!

What did the cops tell you? Why were you not allowed to stay? If you had done nothing wrong, why'd your mom get mad?

Phil:
It will be interesting to hear what he was told, but here it would be trespass.

Funny, when I saw you were grounded, I thought you meant something else! :lol:

Welcome to the forum! :borat:

Hey man,
I always go to the parking lots by the north cargo ramps right next to the continental hangars. You can park in the kallita air cargo parking lot and get right up to the fence. Security never questions me when im there.

Well, the general idea of why I was removed from the scene was because I posed a threat to the landing aircraft of runway 22L, and apparently some people had felt threatened by my prescense. I was not wearing anything obscene, I was wearing jeans, sweaters, gloves, and winter clothing etc. They told me also that I was trespassing because I guess I was in a short term parking lot, I believe I was in parking lot P4 of the north area, and Im not sure but I think they might of thought I posed a threat to breaking into cars, I have no idea. I'm also not sure, maybe if I was 18 or older and I had my I.D., they wouldnt have "removed me" but simply asked me to leave...

and ofcourse my parents had the "I told you so" moment, because I discussed taking a trip to Newark with them, and they said, "ohh yeah you'll get arrested". I technically wasnt arrested, and when I was in the station with the police, they even joked with me about what happened, saying "We will question him for hamaas activity" they new I wasnt a threat at all.

Welcome to the site, JerseyFlyer!

Unfortunately Newark is notoriously unfriendly to spotters, but it seems authorities at most airports get especially worried when they see people near fences, so it's a good idea to not hang out near them for long periods. You'll never fully avoid interaction with law enforcement, but it might calm your parents to know that as long as you don't do anything crazy like hop one of those fences, the chance of you actually getting arrested is extremely small.

As a EWR regular this is non-negotiable advise. Do not get out of the car. That, however, doesn't help a 16 year old.

Ikea is reachable from Penn Station Newark by NJ Transit (#62 I think) for $1.35 each way. You don't have to drink the coffee just buy one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DennyB

Ikea is reachable from Penn Station Newark by NJ Transit (#62 I think) for $1.35 each way. You don't have to drink the coffee just buy one.

---

There's also a free shuttle bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Quote:

---

I live in a residential neighborhood north of Newark Airport, and I am right in between Newark and Teterboro airports. Anyway, heres my story

Me being an aviation enthusiast ofcourse decided it was time to take a trip to Newark Airport to take some pictures of some planes, it is something I've always wanted to do.. Me being only 16 and not having a license, I took the NJ transit train to EWR,

---

The shuttle bus is indeed a good resource. I was thinking for the specific local and situation. One can, of course, catch the bus from EWR to Ikea. The bus stops at the same stand so make sure your going outbound or you'll end up in Newark.

A nod is as good as a wink.....

Good spotting all,

Denny

NJ Transit Bus #62 goes straight to EWR. I'm also a vehicle-lacking individual who lives slightly north of Newark, so commuting by public transport is something I do, too. Perhaps you'll join us at the next trip? kewr-september-07-11-2009-let-s-start-planning-now-t16894.html

I use Google Maps to plan my bus/train routes. So far their information has been completely accurate, so I trust them entirely.

look i go to ikea i never get hasseld i just wavie at the officers they smile and look and smile

Yea, it takes one officer to drive around and just wave at you, but dont be surprised if another officer comes up and start hassling at Ikea, Ive had that problem before and I was detained from there.. Remember, EWR isnt really a friendly airport. Thats pretty much why not many would always take that chance in spotting from Ikea.. But the best tip, if you do, remain in the car, and catch what ever is worth the catch..

where is the entrance to the Continental Airlines :?: hangers i need it emailed

Jerseyflyer,
I'm 17 myself, but I've got a license...so If you want to go spotting at some point, let me know :)

Kind of a shame that that happened though. Its always frustrating.

In the "good old days" of the 80's, I would stay all day at JFK right near the fence at the end of Rwy 31R and watch the jets turn-off the runway after landing. You could wave to the captain and he might wave-back. Port Authority cars would pass-by but I was never questioned. I would stay for hours. The only problem was the heat and the bugs. Also, you could stay all day on the roof of the Pan Am Terminal and get an unobstructed view of JFK. Now, everything has changed. The roof has been closed since 1988 and you can't stand by any fences. My friends were just kicked-out of JFK yesterday for merely standing by a window at a terminal watching the aircraft. They weren't even taking pictures. So much that this is the land of the free. If this happens to me, I will contact the ACLU for help. They helped me when I was told I couldn't take photos at a NYC park in a public place without buying a permit.

I feel sad reading these stories, and it really makes me appreciate how lucky we are here in Europe.
This Friday was the first time I have ever been approached by security, and it was only because we were exploring for new spotting places and was walking in usually places along the fence. A few questions later and they were happy, and we were free to continue, and soon discovered a pretty nice spotting nice location. :borat:

Can the officers harrass us for loitering or trespassing? I was once at JFK near the entrance to Rwy 13L photographing landing aircraft by a road sitting with my friend and my scanner. Suddenly a Port Authority car pulled-up. I was told it was private property and that we were trespassing and told to leave. This was pre-911. I could only imagine what would happen now. What about sitting at a terminal watching aircraft from behind glass? Isn't that legal as long as you are causing no disruption and you stay in an area that is pre-security? My friends did just that recently at JFK's T1 and were told to leave or get arrested.

I'm going to write this politely as possible. If you are in a terminal building, or in some company's parking lot and you are asked to leave....you leave. You do not own/run the building or parking lot, and if you have no business there you have no rights. Don't get all "activist" you'll ruin someone else's chances next time.

Now this goes for any spotting location. IE: Firestone parking lot. This is soon to become a Panera location. Unless you are eating there, they have the right to ask you to leave as you are taking up parking spots for potential customers. This is what eventually happened to the Costco location. Right now, we have a good relationship with NCPD, as they are the ones who respond to complaints there. They know what we do, but when Panera finally opens, they may ask us to leave depending on time of day, how busy the store is etc. Remember, unless you shooting from your backyard, you are on someone's turf. They have every right to ask you to leave. You can try to plead your case, but be respectful. If they demand that you leave, do as they ask, and hopefully we can come back another day without being hassled.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lijk604

I'm going to write this politely as possible. If you are in a terminal building, or in some company's parking lot and you are asked to leave....you leave. You do not own/run the building or parking lot, and if you have no business there you have no rights. Don't get all "activist" you'll ruin someone else's chances next time.

Now this goes for any spotting location. IE: Firestone parking lot. This is soon to become a Panera location. Unless you are eating there, they have the right to ask you to leave as you are taking up parking spots for potential customers. This is what eventually happened to the Costco location. Right now, we have a good relationship with NCPD, as they are the ones who respond to complaints there. They know what we do, but when Panera finally opens, they may ask us to leave depending on time of day, how busy the store is etc. Remember, unless you shooting from your backyard, you are on someone's turf. They have every right to ask you to leave. You can try to plead your case, but be respectful. If they demand that you leave, do as they ask, and hopefully we can come back another day without being hassled.

---

GREAT POST!