Passenger who arrived at Newark Airport being evaluated for Ebola

Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Passenger at Newark Airport rushed to hospital for Ebola testing
N.J. Burkett reports from Newark.

NEWARK, NJ -- A passenger who arrived at Newark Airport was rushed to the hospital to be evaluated for Ebola.

Strict protocols require that the passenger to be quarantined in isolation while he is undergoing evaluation for Ebola.

An ambulance escorted by Port Authority Police and officers from Customs and Border Protection left Newark Liberty International Airport at 4:45 Tuesday evening.

The convoy left the airport property and rushed through the streets of Newark enroute to the hospital.

A spokeswoman for CDC confirmed that the passenger was singled out under the government's screening procedures.

"During the enhanced screening process for individuals arriving to the United States from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, an individual was identified as reporting symptoms or having a potential exposure to Ebola," said Carol Crawford, a spokesperson for CDC in a statement.

Sources confirmed to Eyewitness News that the passenger arrived aboard United flight 998 from Brussels, Belgium. Other passengers, said Crawford, were not detained.

"The passenger is being transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. CDC or state/local public health officials will contact other passengers on the aircraft should it be determined that there was any risk to the other passengers of exposure to communicable disease," Crawford said.

The enhanced screening measures went into effect just this week.

Passengers arriving in the US from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia can only disembark at five U.S. airports including JFK and Newark.

At one point, at least a portion of University Medical Center in Newark was closed off after the ambulance arrived.

Staff workers in masks were seen in the immediate vicinity surrounding the vehicle.

The passenger's condition could not immediately be confirmed.