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In a stroke of incredible luck, Transportation Security Administration agent Gerry Caldwell found a three-pound block of C4 plastic explosives at the bottom of a large black suitcase he was tasked with inspecting.
“Lots of agents go their whole careers without even finding a gun or knife,” said Caldwell, who added that he was sad to see the explosive device be carted off so quickly. “Two years on the job and already I found something that could easily take down a 747. I’m still reeling.”
Caldwell, who found the bomb in the baggage of one James Crocker, thanked the man profusely before turning him over to the authorities. “Definitely a scary guy,” said Caldwell of the would-be terrorist. “Lots of really terrible things to say, and not the type of person you’d want on a plane with you, but I do feel like I owe him a lot.”
After he got a fellow TSA agent to take a picture of him with the bomb, Caldwell helped evacuate the other passengers. “I can’t decide if I should make it my prof pic or my cover photo,” said Caldwell of the picture, which features him smiling and pointing to the device. “Either way, this is going to rake in the likes.”
“It’s not fair,” said a fellow agent who asked to remain nameless. “Gerry’s a joke. He lets nail clippers and corkscrews through maybe four, five times a year, and yet he’s the one who finds a bomb? Give me a break.”
“I called my mom first, then the bomb squad, then my friend Dave,” said Caldwell of the frantic moments before the whole airport shut down. “The bomb squad guys kept shouting about how serious this all was, and I got so psyched. Dave and I are going to get wasted tonight.”
As of press time, Caldwell had inked a deal with Harper-Collins to publish a book on the experience, tentatively titled “Me and the Bomb.”
