Surveillance video from Portland International Airport shows a traveler carrying a clearly labeled meat cleaver through security, then boarding Delta Flight 3233 to Salt Lake City on Nov. 13, 2025, before anyone noticed the problem. The weapon was only discovered after boarding, which meant every passenger had to get off the plane for a full re-screening. The delay stretched to nearly three hours. The traveler was not charged and later told officers he had picked up the cleaver simply because he got "a good deal" on it.
What the video shows
In the footage reviewed by local reporters, a man is seen walking with shopping bags as passengers file onto the plane. At one point, the pilot steps off the aircraft to talk with airport staff. Soon after, the same traveler is escorted off the plane while holding an item. Port of Portland police records identify him as Rommy Gadelmoula, and those records state that a flight attendant later found the meat cleaver inside a carry-on bag, details reported by FOX 12. After the discovery, everyone on board had to deplane and complete a fresh trip through security before the flight could finally take off.
TSA and airline response
The Transportation Security Administration says it is reviewing what went wrong and that it "takes this matter very seriously." Delta has confirmed that it "elected to deplane and re-screen the aircraft" and apologized to travelers for the extended wait, according to People. The flight ultimately departed close to three hours late, and authorities did not file any criminal charges against the passenger.
Union: staffing, shutdowns and morale
Trang Kim, vice president of AFGE Local 1127, told local reporters that checkpoint workers are under intense strain and that "there's just so much distraction," as reported by FOX 12. Kim and other union representatives blame staffing shortfalls and low morale for lapses like this one. The incident happened one day after a 43-day federal government shutdown ended on Nov. 12, 2025, a disruption detailed by AP. AFGE Local 1127 lists Kim as a regional officer and represents Transportation Security Administration screeners in the Portland area; the local describes its role here.
Oversight and covert testing
The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General has for years used covert tests to check how well airport checkpoints actually work in the real world. Public reports from the inspector general and Congress have repeatedly flagged weaknesses in both technology and human performance. Those reviews, and the reforms that followed, are outlined in the DHS OIG archive and in a related congressional summary.
Legal stakes and local impact
This latest video is arriving in the middle of a broader court fight over TSA employees' collective bargaining rights. Judges have at times stepped in to block agency efforts to roll back union protections, and that tug-of-war, along with its impact on morale and staffing, has been chronicled by Government Executive. Union leaders argue that those contract disputes and staffing battles shape the daily pressures faced by screeners at PDX and other airports.
For Portland travelers, the cleaver episode is a blunt reminder that every layer of security tools, policies and the people running them has to function together. The original November lapse was covered in detail when a passenger boards flight with meat cleaver, and the newly released video has revived a local debate over whether TSA's fixes are keeping up with the real-world strain on its workforce.
