Member of Bruce Blakeman's volunteer armed deputy program arrested at JFK Airport for carrying gun, authorities and sources say

Port Authority police arrested a member of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s armed citizens deputy program on Thursday after authorities said TSA agents discovered a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage at Kennedy Airport, sources and authorities told Newsday.

Gaetano Guy Savia, 68, of Bellmore, allegedly tried to bring a loaded Ruger .380 caliber pistol through the security checkpoint at Terminal 4 on his way to Syracuse, according to the Port Authority, criminal complaint filed in Queens Criminal Court, and sources.

The TSA agent saw the gun in the bottom of the bag and flagged it to a Port Authority police officer, according to the criminal complaint. 

Savia was carrying a provisional deputy sheriff shield and a special deputy ID, according to sources granted anonymity so they can discuss the arrest.  He was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm in violation of the terms of his license.

Savia appeared in court late Tuesday. He could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Kelsey Laing, declined to comment on the charge against Savia. He was released on his own recognizance and was ordered to return to court next month. 

The county executive, through his spokesman Chris Boyle, declined to comment or answer any questions, including whether Savia would be allowed to remain in the special deputies program.

Blakeman began recruiting and training armed citizen volunteers in 2024 for the county’s provisional special deputy sheriff program, with the inaugural class graduating that December in a county ceremony.

In the past two years, about 60 men from various backgrounds, including ex-law enforcement, GOP donors, real estate developers, businessmen, lawyers, the former CEO of Nassau University Medical Center and a dentist to the Islanders — all licensed gun owners — answered the call, according to court documents in a lawsuit challenging the legality of the program.

Savia has donated more than $45,000 to Blakeman, the Nassau County Republican Committee and former County Executive Edward Mangano over the last 15 years, according to state campaign finance disclosures.

Blakeman, the Republican candidate for governor, maintains he is within his rights to have a list of volunteers who stand ready to be deployed during emergencies to assist professional law enforcement in securing critical infrastructure such as hospitals, bridges, water towers and county buildings. 

He said many of the volunteers have extensive experience in operating firearms and have military and law enforcement backgrounds.

Critics of the program, including residents, gun-control advocates and Democratic lawmakers, have called it a private militia and have voiced concerns over the lack of public scrutiny, vetting and training of the volunteers.

In February 2025, two Democratic Nassau County legislators in their capacity as private citizens filed suit against the county executive, the county sheriff and the county legislature, claiming Blakeman overstepped his authority with the program.

Carey Dunne, of Free and Fair Litigation Group who is representing the Democrats in the case, has called for greater transparency over the vetting and training of the armed volunteers.

"This is why we're fighting. County Executive Blakeman’s secret, handpicked militia isn’t just illegal — it’s a serious threat to public safety," Dunne told Newsday on Thursday after learning of Savia’s arrest.

Blakeman has strongly objected to the term "militia" when characterizing the program, stressing it will only be activated in the event of emergencies.