TSA screeners at John F. Kennedy International Airport are feeling the heat for an embarrassing and head-scratching breach.

A Delta Airlines employee is facing charges after he got on a flight without a boarding pass and without being screened by security.

Now, investigators have a lot of questions.

The incident happened at Terminal 3, where 31-year-old Marcelino Aponte was initially stopped from boarding Delta Flight 2159 to Orlando because he didn’t have a boarding pass. He also failed to go through security while carrying a piece of luggage, apparently using his clearance pass to bypass security and make his way to the gate. v TSA workers allegedly watched as Aponte violated the rules and was able to make his way on to the flight, which was allowed to take off despite the breach.

The TSA is accused of waiting 45 minutes after the initial breach to contact the Port Authority Police Department, too late to stop the aircraft.

The TSA issued a statement, saying “The timeline of the incident indicates that the TSA coordination center was notified of the incident, and it took them nine minutes to contact the Port Authority.”

Aponte was arrested when his flight landed in Florida. He is expected to return on Friday to New York City, where he will likely face misdemeanor charges of violating airport security rules. His airport ID is also likely to be revoked.

(Source: WABC)