Police are looking for a person who got through security at John F. Kennedy International Airport without being properly screened.
The individual had been flagged by Transportation Security Administration agents for an unknown reason.
A Port Authority spokesman said the TSA asked the passenger to stand aside for a secondary screening, but the passenger walked away.
Authorities are now looking for the person and are re-screening all passengers at Terminal 7. Massive lines built up at the checkpoints as the re-screening began.
It wasn't immediately known where the flagged passenger was headed.
TSA said the incident happened at about 5:20 a.m.
"In an abundance of caution, a decision was made to clear the terminal and re-screen passengers and sweep the area," TSA spokesman Kawika Riley said in a statement. "At approximately 7:30 a.m., the terminal was cleared, and normal checkpoint screening resumed."
