Cop suing Port Authority says he was pulled off flight

NEWARK (AP) — A former high-ranking Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police official who has filed a whistleblower suit against the agency says he was pulled off a flight at JFK Airport over the weekend.

Jerry Speziale, currently Paterson's police director, has asked the federal judge overseeing his lawsuit to add civil rights violations to the complaint because of the incident. The Port Authority operates New York-area airports including JFK.

Speziale claims he was asked to check a piece of luggage that was too large to carry on, then was pulled off the plane with his fiancee. He says they were held for over three hours.

The Port Authority declined comment.

Speziale sued the Port Authority last year, claiming it retaliated against him when he reported violations to superiors.

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