A TSA agent committed suicide by jumping from the balcony of a Hyatt Regency Hotel at the Orlando International Airport on Saturday morning. The TSA agent’s suicide caused wide spread alarm and panic at the busy airport.
The recent government shutdown caused despair for many TSA workers as they went without pay for over 30 days.
The male agent who has not been identified landed at the airport’s atrium, near some security checkpoints.
On February 2, at 9:30 a.m. the TSA agent climbed over a railing and jumped from a interior hotel balcony several stories high, according to the TSA.
The sound of the man crashing to the floor caused passengers to flee un-screened into a restricted area
Orlando police reported that they were working the incident at the airport, but have not released the agent’s name. They did describe him as a male in his 40s. He was in critical condition when police arrived and died at the hospital.
Gates 70-129 were closed for a few hours after the incident and the Federal Aviation Administration briefly grounded flights. Those affected by the stoppage included Alaska, Air Canada, Delta and Southwest airlines.
By Saturday afternoon, Southwest Airlines had cancelled 49 inbound flights and 45 outbound flights
In a statement released to the media, Orlando International Airport confirmed that the all of the airport is now open but there are delays because all of the passengers heading to the effected gates have to be re-screened.
Orlando International Airport is Florida’s busiest airport.