MIAMI – Surveillance cameras caught a boy's dangerous 5-minute journey on Monday through the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's luggage conveyor belt.
His mother, Edith Vega, was trying to print out her boarding pass at a kiosk. She said she took her eyes off him "for one second" when the boy sneaked past a ticket counter and climbed on a moving conveyor belt.
A Spirit Airline employee tried unsuccessfully to help. The boy attempted to crawl out before the baggage drop, but a large piece of luggage pushed him.
The boy finally made it to a restricted area where Transportation Security Administration employees rescued him. He suffered injuries to his right hand.
"I am thankful he is alive," Vega said.