Defendant in airport security breach pleads not guilty

NEWARK, N.J. - A lawyer for a Rutgers University graduate student charged with a January security breach at Newark Liberty Airport that led to worldwide flight delays entered a plea of not guilty yesterday and defended his client as "simply a lovesick man who made a mistake."

Haisong Jiang's lawyer, Eric Bruce, entered the plea in Municipal Court to a charge of defiant trespassing. The misdemeanor charge carries a fine of up to $500. Bruce also sought a delay to review surveillance video and any statements Jiang made to authorities.

Authorities say Jiang entered a restricted area at the airport Jan. 3 to see off his girlfriend. The breach shut down a busy terminal, delayed or canceled about 200 flights around the world, affected an estimated 16,000 travelers and may have cost airlines millions of dollars as the terminal was emptied and passengers were rescreened.

Jiang was arrested Jan. 8.

Bruce said yesterday that his client was sorry for the incident but declined to explain why he decided to plead not guilty.

"All Haisong Jiang wanted to do was kiss his girlfriend goodbye," Bruce said. "He's certainly not a security threat."

Authorities caught up to Jiang after identifying him from airport surveillance video, which showed a man ducking under a barrier while a security guard was away from his post.

The guard, an employee of the federal Transportation Security Administration, has been suspended.