Transportation Security Administration officers have arrested a man from Florham Park who they say they caught with a handgun at a security checkpoint in Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The incident happened Tuesday, marking the first gun stopped at one of the airport checkpoints this year. It was among the man's carry-on items.

Officers caught the handgun as it entered the checkpoint X-ray machine. TSA alerted the Port Authority Police, who responded, confiscated the gun and arrested the man on weapons charges.

The man claimed he forgot he had his handgun with him. He also faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100 and can go as high as $13,669 depending on any mitigating circumstances.