Police and federal officials are investigating a “disturbance” aboard an American Airlines flight to Chicago Sunday that some passengers believe may have been a bomb threat which caused the flight to be diverted to Detroit.
The Wayne County Airport Authority Police and FBI responded to a “reported disturbance” on an American Airlines flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan, authorities said.
The FBI confirmed personnel from their Detroit field office were present at the airport “conducting law enforcement activities” and noted there was no threat to the public but didn’t specify further.
American Airlines flight 2819 left John F. Kennedy Airport in New York just before 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and diverted to Detroit roughly two hours later, according to FlightAware. Several hours later, the same flight left Detroit Metropolitan Airport and touched down at O’Hare International Airport just before 7 p.m.
American Airlines has not yet responded to multiple requests for comment.
Passengers who spoke to CBS Chicago described the tense moments that took place over 30,000 feet in the air.
“Something to the effect of, ‘If you don’t land this plane, I’m going to, I’ll blow it the plane,’ or, ‘If you don’t land this plane, I’m going to do something to it, and you will see,’” according to one passenger.
“And about an hour out of Chicago, we hear this person in the back screaming, yelling, and: ‘No! No! No!’ And he’s not going to — ‘I can’t get off the plane!’” said another passenger. “According to the people who came on the plane, he was threatening — he said there was a bomb.”
American Airlines flight 2819 left John F. Kennedy Airport Sunday just before 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and diverted to Detroit roughly two hours later, according to FlightAware. Several hours later, the same flight left Detroit and touched down at O’Hare.
