A construction contractor accidentally cut 600 feet of fiber communications line in New Jersey, triggering a technical failure at an FAA air traffic control facility. The outage prompted ground stops at 7 airports, including John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, Boston Logan, and Philadelphia International. Thousands of flights across the Northeast were delayed or diverted after the telecom failure knocked out radar and radio equipment.

The disruption coincided with the start of the UN General Assembly in Manhattan, causing departure delays at Newark Liberty Airport to average more than two hours. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the fiber lines were repaired and regional airport operations have since resumed. Verizon stated that construction contractors in the area were responsible for the damaged cable.