JetBlue flight to LAX reportedly poses bomb threat, forces evacuation
FILE: A JetBlue Airways flight takes off from SFO International Airport in July 2020 in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesOn May 4, a “disgruntled” JetBlue passenger who missed his flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles reportedly said his bag contained a possible bomb, a Los Angeles Airport Police spokesperson told SFGATE. Airport police evacuated passengers and crew members on the plane when it landed in Los Angeles.
“At approximately 12:57 p.m. LVMPD was notified of an irate passenger at Harry Reid International Airport. The individual had made some concerning comments about his luggage after missing his flight,” a spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told SFGATE in a statement.
JetBlue flight 879 was scheduled to leave Las Vegas at 12:12 p.m., according to FlightAware. It departed 37 minutes late at 12:49 p.m. and arrived 32 minutes late at LAX just after 2 p.m.
When the plane arrived, pilots isolated the plane from the rest of the airport. Police and firefighters were called to the tarmac at Terminal 4 to investigate the threat, according to LA TV news station KABC. Passengers and crew were allowed to get off the plane around 15.20 via truck-mounted stairs and board shuttle to the airport over an hour after the plane arrived. Around 4:30 p.m., the police concluded the investigation and found that the luggage on board the plane had been removed, airport police told SFGATE.
“After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the comments made were out of frustration and not an actual threat,” LVMPD told SFGATE.
LVMPD issued the passenger a misdemeanor citation once the investigation was complete for the violation of airport rules.
