Airports are built for routine. Shoes off. Bags open. Laptops out. It’s all for safety. TSA agents are on the lookout for anything dangerous or illegal. Most of the time, it’s bags filled with the usual: clothes, toiletries, and other mundane items. But sometimes, a screener squints at an X-ray and thinks, “Is that what I think it is?”
In 2025, TSA officers across the country answered that question more times than anyone would think. Despite clearer rules, better signage, and no shortage of reminders, travelers still tried to bring some truly wild items through security. Some were hidden carefully. Some were hidden badly. All of them were stopped.
Here are some of the strangest things TSA confiscated last year, according to reports from the agency and interviews with officers.
1. A handgun inside a guitar case
At Newark Liberty International Airport, officers found a handgun tucked inside a guitar case, an arrangement that looked straight out of an action movie. TSA officer Gabrielle Connor-Findley told the New York Post the passenger claimed the case was a gift and insisted they had no idea what was inside. “He had no idea that it was in there, which is something that we hear,” she said.
2. Throwing stars
Yep, actual throwing stars. The metal blades were flagged during screening at Newark, prompting Connor-Findley to pause and double-check what she was seeing. “You’re going to take a double, triple look,” she told the Post. “You’re like, ‘Is this what I think it is?’”
3. A flashlight that was also a taser
At Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, an officer discovered a flashlight that turned out to be a stun gun. It was designed to look harmless, which made it harder to spot. Connor-Findley said items like this are challenging because someone is deliberately disguising them as something ordinary.
4. A knife hidden in a belt buckle
Another BWI stop involved a blade concealed inside a belt buckle. The passenger surrendered the item after police were called. It looked like something from a spy movie and set off a response that I’m sure delayed everyone’s boarding time.
5. A comb that doubled as a knife
An employee at Newark was caught carrying a money-patterned comb that concealed a blade. The arrest underscored something TSA officers repeat often. Screening doesn’t come with any exceptions.
6. A Montessori toy mistaken for a bomb
At Newark Terminal A, officers flagged what looked like an improvised explosive device. It was actually a children’s Montessori switchboard toy, complete with wires and buttons. Law enforcement responded anyway. Connor-Findley explained that toys can look dangerous depending on how items sit together inside a bag.
7. Crystal meth hidden in candles
At San Francisco International Airport, officers discovered meth concealed inside wax candles. TSA joked about the find in a social media post, but the outcome was serious. Law enforcement was notified.
8. A live turtle in a passenger’s pants
In one of the year’s most memorable discoveries, officers at Newark found a live turtle hidden inside a man’s pants. The turtle survived. The passenger did not make the flight.
9. Fourteen inert rocket grenades
A traveler attempted to check a bag containing more than a dozen inert RPGs. “Yes…14…inert…rocket…grenades,” TSA said on Instagram. “Even if they’re fake or inert, realistic weapons like these can cause very real delays. It would lift our spirits if you could just leave them at home.”
TSA officers train for worst-case scenarios because hesitation costs time, and time matters. If 2025 proved anything, it’s that no matter how clear the rules are, someone will still try it.
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