Homeless people have effectively taken over the JFK Airport AirTrain terminal, aggressively panhandling travelers and occupying public bathrooms while police "do nothing," according to a new report.
Dozens of people seeking refuge from winter weather — and avoiding what they describe as unsafe city shelters — are bedding down inside the bustling transit hub that links JFK's terminals with the Long Island Rail Road and New York City's subway system.
"I've been through this place a bunch of times in the last three years," one traveler who asked to be identified as Michael told the New York Post. "This morning was definitely the worst."
"The second we came in the station, there was guys yelling, 'Can you buy me something?'" Michael, who was returning from Florida, said. "All the cops did nothing while that guy followed us, asking us for money, the entire time, wouldn't leave us alone."
"I told him I had no cash and he was telling me to take something out and pointing to ATMs," he added.
Other passengers said the terminal's public restrooms have become unusable because homeless individuals camp out inside. Some vagrants were also seen sleeping on the floor as travelers wheeled suitcases past.
"Yes, it's a problem," Arata, 69, who works at a newsstand in the terminal, told the outlet. "There are four or five homeless outside here every day. They confront customers. No, the police do not make them move."
One homeless man who spoke with the Post blamed the city's shelter system.
"The shelter is no good," Griffin, 67, said. "They pick you clean. You can't even let your shoes dry without somebody taking them. Then you walk around in socks. Now you're in trouble.
"This is all right," he said of the terminal. "Don't act the fool and it works out. ... Getting too crowded now, though.
"Crazies up there," he added. "All night with the arguing and screaming, fighting in the bathroom."
The situation highlights New York's broader homelessness crisis. The state had more than 158,000 people without permanent housing in 2024 — about 20% of the nation's total — according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Factors cited in the report as driving the homelessness rate included eviction backlogs, high rents, scarce affordable housing, and the migrant crisis.
The Port Authority, which oversees JFK and the AirTrain, said in a statement that it is not "immune from the conditions facing the unhoused throughout the region," especially in winter.
The agency said police are assigned to the terminal "24/7" and that rules "do not permit use of the station for nontransportation purposes."
It added that officers and service providers conduct outreach to connect homeless people with shelters and other social services.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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