A Newark man was arrested after allegedly taking two suitcases with "elite" status ID tags from a carousel at Newark Liberty International Airport Friday morning, according to Port Authority of NY/NJ spokesman Al Della Fave.
Della Fave credited a limo driver, who was not identified, with alerting police to Victor Spears, 39. The limo driver didn't think Spears looked like a frequent flyer to the chauffeur.
When Port Authority police tracked Spears down to where he was sitting in a car outside the airport, Della Fave said he told officers he's afraid to fly.
Della Fave said the officers had already spotted the bags in question sitting in the back seat but that Spears, who was later identified by the limo driver, could offer no explanation on how they got there.
Spears has been charged with two counts of baggage theft and was wanted on a civil warrant from Cumberland County.
He also has an extensive criminal record, having served jail time for several counts of resisting arrest, aggravated assault, robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm, dating back to 1997.
Spears could not be reached for comment. Bail has yet to be set and it wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.
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