A flight had to change its course when a 16-year-old’s Fitbit watch, named “Bomb” on Bluetooth, caused alarm among passengers. The United Airlines flight, traveling from Newark, New Jersey, to Mallorca, Spain, departed at 6 pm on Saturday but returned at 9:30 pm the same day.
Concerned about a potential security threat, the flight was redirected for inspection after a suspicious item was reported on board. Despite repeated crew instructions to turn off all Bluetooth devices, two devices remained active.
Emergency responders determined that the device labeled “Bomb” was actually a Fitbit belonging to a teenage passenger. All 190 passengers and 12 crew members had to evacuate for a thorough search by port authority police.
Following rescreening by TSA and Customs and Border Protection agents, the passengers reboarded the plane, which resumed its journey to Mallorca. The teenager involved was not charged locally but is under FBI investigation.
United Airlines confirmed the incident, stating that the flight safely returned to Newark to address the security concern before continuing to Palma De Mallorca with a new crew.
This incident occurred shortly after another United Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was diverted to Wisconsin due to an unruly passenger’s security concerns. Upon landing, police and the FBI responded to the situation involving a passenger attempting to breach the cockpit.
According to air traffic control audio obtained by NBC News, law enforcement officers managed to subdue the passenger, who had been making repeated attempts to breach the cockpit. The passenger was eventually seated and secured with officers on both sides.