PlayStation in ‘degraded condition’ spurs evacuation at Boston airport

Authorities said a Sony PlayStation game console in “degraded condition” led to a Sunday visit from the bomb squad and the evacuation of passengers from Terminal A of Boston’s Logan International Airport. 

Massachusetts State Police (MSP) spokesperson Dave Procopio told The Hill that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents discovered a suspicious item inside a passenger’s bag for a scheduled Delta Airlines flight.

After conducting their investigation, MSP’s bomb squad, which was called in just after 4 p.m. local time, found that the suspicious item turned out to be a PlayStation game console that was in a degraded condition due to damage and old age, Procopio said. 

“The condition of the console caused abnormalities in the image produced when it was x-rayed, prompting the screeners’ concern. During the investigation of the object and secondary sweeps of the area, passengers in Terminal A were evacuated,” Procopio said in his statement.  

“During the investigation of the object and secondary sweeps of the area, passengers in Terminal A were evacuated,” he added. “Troopers gave the all-clear shortly after 5 p.m. and passengers were allowed to re-enter the terminal.”

In a similar statement, TSA New England Regional spokesperson Daniel Velez told The Hill that authorities searched the bag and throughout Terminal A, finding no explosives. 

Video circulated through social media showed hundreds of passengers evacuating the airport’s Terminal A area due to the security scare. 

Some passengers told ABC affiliate WCVB that they were evacuated off of planes during the ordeal. 

“I had a 6 p.m. flight and I was just getting to the airport. When I got out of the car, a bunch of people ran out screaming, so I got back in the car. I didn’t hear what they were screaming about,” passenger Pam Lovano told WCVB. “Then we drove around the terminals again. By the time we got back, Terminal A had been closed by the cops and I could see the people standing outside.”