A United Airlines Holdings, Inc (UAL) flight headed for Palma de Mallorca had to turn back to Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday evening after a passenger allegedly renamed a Bluetooth device, making it sound like there was a bomb threat, which led to a security response.
Flight 236, a Boeing 767 with 190 passengers and 12 crew members, took off from Newark around 6 p.m., but about an hour into the trip, it turned back.
Air traffic control indicated that authorities called for a complete inspection of the plane, including its cargo hold, after noticing the suspicious device name.
Passengers mentioned that flight attendants repeatedly told everyone to turn off their Bluetooth devices, but two of them stayed on. In a video that made its way to social media, a crew member explained to the passengers that someone had made "a funny joke that isn't so funny," which was putting the flight's safety at risk.
After landing back in Newark around 9:37 p.m., passengers were escorted off the plane while Port Authority Police officers checked everything out.
Travelers had to go through another security screening by the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection before they boarded a new plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration noted that the flight returned due to a report of passenger disturbance. The airline hasn't shared more details on the incident, but passengers heard that the person responsible might face arrest.
The replacement flight left early Sunday and eventually arrived in Palma de Mallorca.
This incident adds to a string of disruptions involving United Airlines flights this month, which includes another security-related diversion and a ground collision at Newark that fortunately didn't cause any injuries.
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