A masked bandit sent Spirit Airlines passengers scurrying at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Monday when a raccoon was spotted bursting through a ceiling tile.
Video shows the raccoon dangling from a cord from inside a ceiling tile next to the Spirit Airlines counter. It soon takes a nosedive, landing on the ground and sending airline personnel and passengers alike into a frenzy as they run away.
As screams fill the budget airline’s terminal, another video shows someone is carrying what seems to be a trash can in an effort to catch the raccoon.
The raccoon rendezvous occurred around 8 a.m., after which the raccoon was safely removed, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement.
Airport staff members are working closely with a professional wildlife control company to monitor the area, identify potential entry points and implement necessary precautions to prevent future incidents, the agency said.
Spirit Airlines confirmed that no injuries were reported.
LaGuardia was recently rated one of the best airports in the country after an $8 billion renovation, a major turnaround for a hub that then-Vice President Joe Biden once labeled as looking like it belonged in a "Third World country."
But the renovations didn’t include the scene of the stowaway critter: Terminal A.
