A United Airlines flight carrying 190 passengers was forced to divert after a teenage passenger's Bluetooth device name caused panic on board. The 16-year-old had named his Fitbit activity tracker "Bomb," which appeared as an available Bluetooth device to other passengers.
Incident Details
The flight, United Airlines 236, departed from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday, bound for Palma de Mallorca, Spain. However, just a few hours into the journey, the aircraft turned back and landed at Newark around 9:30 p.m. the same evening.
Crew members repeatedly instructed passengers to turn off all Bluetooth devices, but two remained active. Emergency services eventually identified the suspicious device as the teenager's Fitbit, according to The New York Post. Air traffic control audio revealed that security was alerted because someone had named their Bluetooth device a "certain four-letter word."
Security Response
Upon landing, all passengers and 12 crew members were evacuated to allow Port Authority police to sweep the aircraft. Officers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) then re-screened every passenger before they were allowed to reboard. The flight later departed again and continued to Mallorca with a new crew.
The teenager, whose identity has not been disclosed, was not charged locally. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched a probe into the incident.
United Airlines Statement
United Airlines released a statement on Sunday: "United flight 236 from Newark to Palma De Mallorca, Spain safely returned to Newark to address a potential security concern. The flight continued on to Palma De Mallorca with a new crew."
Related Incident
This diversion follows another United Airlines flight, UA2005 from Chicago to Minneapolis, which was forced to divert to Wisconsin due to a "security concern with an unruly passenger." Police and the FBI responded after the passenger attempted to breach the cockpit. Crew members reported that law enforcement eventually subdued the individual without handcuffs and escorted him off the plane.
