TSA Agent Commits Suicide Jumping From Balcony at Orlando Airport

Image: The Main Terminal at Orlando International Airport. (photo via Flickr/Christian Lambert)
Image: The Main Terminal at Orlando International Airport. (photo via Flickr/Christian Lambert)
Alex Temblador
by Alex Temblador
Last updated: 1:35 PM ET, Sat February 2, 2019

Update: February 5, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. EST

Officials have released the name of the TSA agent who jumped from the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the Orlando International Airport in an apparent suicide this weekend.

Robert Henry, 36, had worked for TSA since September 2006. It is still unclear if Henry left a note or any other material behind to explain what led him to suicide.

Evan Henry, Robert's brother, has started a GoFundMe page in honor of his brother. He wrote: "In memory of Robert Frank Henry, who was a beloved son, brother, and dedicated Transportation Security Officer."

"Rob, you served your country with dignity and honor, and we take solace knowing that you are finally at peace."

All funds raised will go to the Give Kids the World charity, an 84-acre resort in Florida where kids with critical illnesses and their families are treated to free, week-long vacations.


It was a sad day at Orlando International Airport when news broke that a TSA agent committed suicide after jumping from the balcony of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the airport. He landed near a few security checkpoints.

Passengers reported hearing a loud bang, and some mistook it for a gunshot. It soon became clear that it was a TSA agent in his 40s. His name has yet to be released.

The Federal Aviation Administration briefly grounded flights and closed gates 70-129 for a few hours.

The TSA agent jumped at 9:30 a.m. and was in critical condition before he was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.

Orlando International Airport has since resumed flights, though there are a few delays.

James Shaw, a guest at the Hyatt told Local10.com that he saw the man climb over the railing: "Thought it was strange and then thought he may be observing the security area below since he was TSA."

"I wish I would have said something to him," he added.

The Transportation Security Administration confirmed that the TSA agent had just finished his shift before committing suicide.

No reports have yet to be released that connects the TSA agent's suicide to the recent government shutdown that required thousands of TSA agents to work for over a month without pay.


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