Shots fired near JFK airport prompts investigation that snarls traffic for hours
An incident near John F. Kennedy International Airport that led to shots being fired caused traffic delays Tuesday morning.
It started at 4:48 a.m. when Port Authority police responded to a report of a crash on the southbound Van Wyck Expressway near the entrance to JFK. One of the drivers involved was an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer.
That CBP officer told responding PAPD officers he had been involved in a crash and that the driver of the other vehicle assaulted him afterwards. The CBP officer said he fired his service weapon several times, according to the Port Authority.
Nobody was shot, and police say the other driver has not been located.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
"This incident is under review by CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility who also responded to the scene. No injuries are reported at this time. Additional requests for information are directed to the Port Authority Police Department, the primary agency investigating this event," a CBP spokesperson said in a statement.
Most lanes of the southbound Van Wyck Expressway were shut down while the investigation unfolded, causing bad congestion. Those lanes have since reopened.
The incident remains under investigation.