31 Wild Reasons People Were Stopped by TSA

Someone’s wheel of cheese allegedly looked exactly like C4
31 Wild Reasons People Were Stopped by TSA

Traveling is already a nightmare, but there’s always one thing that can make it worse. No, it’s not the people who clap when the plane lands or spend the whole flight barefoot, it’s much worse than that — it’s the Transportation Security Administration. 

TSA agents claim to “ensure our safety” by yelling at us to take our shoes off, patting us down in a room full of people, and of course, carrying out the “randomly selected search.” But that almost always seems like an excuse to power trip and/or get handsy. Either way, these Redditors have had their fair share of run-ins with TSA over the years and shared some of the craziest reasons they were stopped by the agents. Spoiler: TSA agents think a lot of things look like bombs.

CharacterSuccotash5 . 1y When the Andrew Garfield Spiderman's first came out they did some amazing merch for them. My Stepdad is a HUGE Spidey fan, so I picked him up the corniest Spiderman film merch when in the US, one of those being like a whirling cement truck thing? It was a big tonka sized thing and the only bag it would fit in was my carry-on. They stopped me and said Is that a spiderman toy? and I took it out and showed them. They said it was the best thing they'd seen all day. ... 2.1k
PamplemOusse_ 1y I had a nutcracker in my carry-on. Like a legit, festive Christmas soldier nutcracker - it was a gift for my mom's birthday (she collects them). I was only flying in for 2 days for my grandmas funeral so didn't check any luggage. They stopped me and questioned me for 30 minutes. Kept insinuating I was going to use it as a weapon. ... 2.3k
digitaltrashman . 1y Actually pre-TSA days. Had a shitty laptop that had a dead battery so I just plugged it in when I used it. Whatever. Security didn't believe it was a laptop. Told me I had to turn it on to prove it. Of course the battery was dead. Had to search for a power outlet. Sitting on the floor booting my shit laptop while security hovers over me. ... 1.4k
Gacsam 0 1y My niece has a teddy bear. She has had this teddy bear essentially since she was born. The doggo has bitten a hole into its belly, so we sew onto it like a lion head sticker, to keep its guts inside. One time we were on holiday visiting family, and she left it there, luckily I was staying a bit longer so I could grab it on my way back. An adult man with a teddy bear that had its guts torn open and fixed with a lion bandaid apparently looks pretty suspicious, so they shoved the
99thLuftballon . 1y Not in the USA but in France, I got stopped on the way through customs by an agent who said something fast and aggressive-sounding in French. My French isn't great, so I just looked puzzled and said I didn't understand. The guy quickly beckoned another guy over and explained to him in rapid-fire French what was going on. The second guy turned to me and said Не says your T-shirt is really cool and can you tell him where you got it?. It was a Star Wars T-shirt that I got as a birthday present, so I
AudiieVerbum . 1y One time my dad had a few rocks of petrified wood in a bag, and had his phone charger right next to it. They almost went DEFCON 1 and did radio people to show up and act if it went down. But they opened the bag and saw it was rocks and a charger. They told him that it looked absolutely identical to what they had been taught a bomb looked like. ... 2.4k
HamiltonsGhost 1y Pulled me aside after my backpack went through the scanner. I was just sitting there while they searched every pocket four times, running it back through the scanner in between each one. Every time they didn't find anything they'd bring more people over. At that point I was starting to get nervous and asked what they were looking for. Guy number 5 searching my bag looks at me and says super accusingly, we're looking for the butterfly knife you have hidden in there, to which I just laughed since butterfly knives are for edgy 14 year olds. I
wot_in_ternation . 1y Crotch anomaly. I was wearing normal joggers, nothing in my pockets. The lady behind me loudly said yeah it's called a dick ... 2.6k
utauley 1y I have bad knees and occasionally bring a cane with me when I travel. I have one called a hurry-cane, basically a full size cane that folds into three for easy packing. TSA requires me to still walk through w/o the cane if possible, so I had folded it up and laid it on my checked luggage for the xray. This obviously new TSA agent has me pulled aside to wait for a supervisor because he said that he is familiar with it and it was a kind of weapon that his character uses in a video game.
Brunonononoooo . 1y I had a sample size (0.1oz) bottle of perfume in my book bag. They confiscated it in Detroit without explanation. I got to Germany and they discovered a full size pair of scissors in the front pocket of that same book bag. I wasn't aware it was there. Both I, and American security, had missed the scissors. German security was much more polite over confiscating the scissors than American was over the perfume. ... 1k
Confident_Notice975 . 1y Random check when... i i was the only person in line ... 768
Powellwx 1y Got pulled to the side at Fort Myers airport. One TSA guy with gloves, two TSA guys standing right behind me. Officer says, is there anything you want to tell me before I open this bag? I am horribly confused. Wrapped right on top between a few t-shirts is an large Avocado. TSA guy starts laughing. I love Avocados, my 76 yo father has a tree in his yard... he slipped one in my bag before leaving. Apparently it doesn't look the best going through the x-ray machine, they thought it may be a home-made bomb or grenade.
Due_Judgment_9518 . 1y My mom passed away unexpectedly in California. I flew out to pick up her ashes and there was a terror alert at LAX. It was unreal; the military was in the airport with what looked like machine guns. I was out of my mind with grief and drugged to the gills. I was dealing with a bad back, and had to fly from California to a small town in Virginia for the memorial service. Security was heightened and everyone was being searched. I only had a small carry on and my mom's ashes. When I got to the
ZweitenMal . 1y My then-two month old was flagged by TSA in 2003. They took one look and realized the only bomb was in his diaper. The same season, his grandfather was subject to additional screening. They had the exact same Irish name: first, middle, and last. I surmised that there might have been an IRA person on an interpol list or something with the same name. ... 395
thismightendme. 1y My dad put a wheel of cheese in his check on against my advice. (On the scanner looked like C4). That was a funny day. He's not super great with authority so hilarity ensued. ... 164
WatchingInSilence . 1y They thought a massage gun was an actual handgun. I was detained for two hours while they looked up the device in the internet to verify it wasn't a weapon. In reality, they forgot they'd detained me. I missed my flight and their supervisor made me an offer. I accept their apology and they'd pay to upgrade me to first- class on my rescheduled flight. ... 159
PROFITPROPHET . . 1y Got held back for 20 mins, on the depart and return, because I had magic decks in my bag. It apparently sets off something like crazy, they had to swab between EVERY single card for multiple 100 card decks. I check them now when I can. ... 405
Paganduck . 1y Pimento cheese spread. I had a small soft sided carry- on cooler so I could load up on cheese at a cheese shop near my brothers house. TSA unpacked it all to check then decided pimento cheese spread was a gel and confiscated it. I know those MFs ate it later. The reason I didn't check it was because my mother had put some cheese in her checked bag and when she got home there was a sticker on her bag saying it had been searched and they stole cheese. ... 168
i_ShotFirst 1y I was at a convention in Pittsburgh for the weekend and apparently developed a foot disease that caused my feet to smell awful. I made a quick stop at Target the first evening and bought a huge bottle of foot powder. A few days later when I was packing to go home, I decided that wrapping my large bottle of powder in a few plastic bags would contain the powdery mess... Well, TSA's systems red alerted my bag IMMEDIATELY. They pulled my bag off the track and within seconds multiple officers were surrounding me and the TSA checking
jumperjatt 1y I was wearing boxers with a metal button holding the pee flap together. They made me get Pat down after the metal detector. Then I had to get body scanned. Finally they asked me to go to a private room and be strip searched or I could refuse and miss my flight back to Canada. I told them each time that it was a metal button on my boxers... but nope. The guy that was searching me apologized countlessly as it was just us in the room (same background as me). Не said (in our language) sorry brother,
jesseract . 4y I had a TSA agent steal the scrunchie from my hair once. I'm convinced that she only stopped me because she needed a hair tie. ... 22
gogojack.44 A pie server. I got it as a Christmas gift a couple years ago and put it in my carry-on. It was still in the packaging and labeled clearly as a pie server, but because of the serrated edge they handled it as if it were a radioactive AK-47. ... 6
phydox . 4y HALF a protein bar from my checked baggage. I was flying a lot for work and because of busy scheduales id always pack a few proteins bars for a quick snack when I arrived. Upon landing I saw my lock tag had been cut, opened up to see half my protein bar had been chopped - nothing else missing..? I always figure it was a dense block so they did a drug test, but maybe they were just hangry. ... 83
lettucebelurking 4y On return to New Zealand, a male customs officer confiscated my birth control pills (which I did declare both ways) because they were prescription and he didn't know what they were for. So it's 4am and he has to find a supervisor (thankfully a female) who explained to him in a very detailed way that my birth control is not a threat, and it was prescribed in my own country. I got to keep my pills, and this 30ish year old guy got a lesson in female anatomy. ... 70
teeny_tina . 4y My mom and I were going through security when they pulled her aside. Searched her bag, confiscated angels and demons by Dan brown. She went through 20 minutes of questioning because they thought it was some terrorist propaganda or something. Finally another tsa woman came over and explained what it is. The TSA is made up of a bunch of fucking idiots but man that took the cake. ... 105
KiwiDaNinja . 4y Fortunately - not confiscated. But certainly thoroughly tested. An unopened box of thirty rolls of mentos, and an opened box of 26 mentos. After seeing the X-ray output, I quite honestly don't blame them in the slightest. ... 8
poopinT00much . 1 11y Because of my snake light they thought my game boy advance was a bomb. Detained me in a back room and everything. ... 8
free_falling . 11y Egg drop soup. Back when you could bring liquids on airplanes. TSA had me taste test it in front of them. ... 1
Davran 133d Ordered a pizza the night before I left the city I was visiting. It was delicious, but also too much to eat, so I packed it up figuring it'd be better than anything I'd find at the airport the next day. Get to the airport, put my bags on the the belt, and TSA pulls them aside. The agent grabs the zipper of my bag and starts to open it like a live wolverine is going to jump out and maul him if he moves too quickly. Не find the container with the pizza and opened it like
Jesusxcraves . . 133d They made me go into a separate changing room only to see that I have scoliosis and was wearing a back brace for medical purposes. Reply 1
1y ... Glass jellyfish Like those blown glass ones that are super cool at art galleries. I got pulled aside into a small room because they thought I was smuggling sea life. Was an interesting time. 2.0k Reply
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