NJ Governor Opposes Flights Between Newark And Cuba Until Fugitive Returned
TRENTON, NJ (CBS) -- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is pushing to block potential commercial flights between Newark Liberty Airport and Cuba until a longtime fugitive is returned to the Garden State.
Christie has sent a letter to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, urging them to reject any airline's bid to offer such service until Joanne Chesimard is extradited.
She's been living in Cuba under another name since her escape from prison, where she was doing life for the murder of a New Jersey state trooper in 1973.
Christie's letter, obtained by KYW Newsradio, states "The Obama Administration may not care about the late New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster and his family, but the citizens of New Jersey absolutely do."
The Governor is pursuing the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination.
The letter is addressed to John Degnan, chairman of the Authority and a former New Jersey Attorney General. At least one carrier is said to have expressed interest in offering such service out of Newark, assuming the feds approve it.
Degnan has told the Associated Press that request is under "immediate review."