United flight from Newark diverted due to bomb threat on plane: Reports
NEWARK, N.J. - A United Airlines flight headed to Los Angeles from Newark, New Jersey was diverted to Chicago due to a bomb threat on the plane, according to reports.
The FAA said Flight 1533 landed safely at Chicago O'Hare International Airport around 7:40 a.m. after the crew reported a security issue.
The Boeing 787 departed from Newark Liberty International Airport and was headed to Los Angeles International Airport.
A passenger on the flight said someone allegedly went into the bathroom and made a bomb threat. The passenger posted on X that everyone aboard had to leave their bags and belongings on the plane.
"The story from the other passengers is that someone went into the bathroom and wrote on the mirror. I was sleeping when we went in for emergency landing. We are being held on buses away from the plane about a mile away from the main O’hare airport," Rashad Robinson posted to X.
Another passenger on social media wrote they weren't told why they were stopping in Chicago until they got off safely and emergency vehicles began to swarm the plane.
A spokesperson for the Chicago Field Office of the FBI said the incidents in the sky have been consistently occurring coast to coast.
"A lot of minor crimes actually become federal crimes in the sky that would bring us in, but definitely, if you had something such as a bomb threat, we would be the first ones you would call in to respond to that," said Special Agent Siobhan Johnson with FBI’s Chicago Field Office. "The majority of crimes that are going to involve aircraft and airports aren’t going to be large-scale incidents. They are going to be very minor things that really do not threaten the greater population."
In a statement about Wednesday’s event, the FBI Chicago Field Office said, "There is no indication that there is an imminent threat to public safety or the facility itself at this time."
Both the FBI and FAA are investigating.