JFK jet skier latest in string of security breaches

>>> now to an incredible chain of events raising a lot of questions at one of the busiest airports in our country, jfk, here in new york . it happened over the weekend when a lost jet skier got stranded on the water then swam ashore and managed to bypass a supposedly state-of-the-art security system walking right across runways and into the terminal. we get our report on this tonight from nbc's tom costello.

>> reporter: at jfk airport today a patrol car was cruising the perimeter following this weekend's embarrassing security breach . after his jet ski broke down in jamaica bay , a new york man climbed an eight-foot barbed wire fence, passed a $100 million security system complete with motion sensors and closed circuit cameras, then walked across two runways into the terminal and, dripping wet, approached a delta employee. he is now charged with criminal trespass. the latest in a string of airport security breaches.

>> attention all aircraft. let's just use caution. the vehicle is heading in that direction.

>> reporter: in philadelphia last march police chased a speeding jeep down airport runways after the drunken driver crashed through a weak chain link fence . a commercial jet had to abort a landing to avoid collision. last month in st. george, utah a murder suspect jumped a fence and started a regional jet before crashing into a building and killing himself. professor southers was the homeland security chief for the four airports in los angeles .

>> our adversaries watch video and the news. this is a lesson learned for them. they are constantly evaluating our security situation. they're looking at ways to breach it.

>> reporter: while the federal government requires airports across the country to secure their perimeters, it's up to the airports themselves to decide how best to do that. in new york the port authority says it has called for an expedited review of the incident while the maker of the airport's $100 million dollar security system isn't commenting on how a lost jet skier could have so easily evaded detection. tom costello, nbc news, washington.