A New Jersey man bound for Hong Kong was arrested by Port Authority cops at Newark Airport after he was caught illegally carrying a .25-caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets through a TSA checkpoint, authorities said.

The TSA screener spotted the weapon on an X-ray during routine pre-flight screening of a zippered case of a backback being carried by Chad Wiegand, of Lanoka, at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Wiegand was prevented from boarding his flight and held on $35,000 bail on charges of illegal possession of a handgun and illegal possession of hollow-point bullets, which expand upon impact and are illegal for civilians in New Jersey.

In addition to criminal penalties, people toting illegal handguns at airports also potentially face $11,000 in TSA penalties.