Domestic Dispute To Blame For Diverted JetBlue Flight From Boston
BOSTON (CBS/AP) - A JetBlue flight from Boston to Chicago was diverted to Buffalo on Monday morning due to a bomb-related threat that was called in, but it turns out the call was allegedly a domestic dispute involving a woman on the plane.
A woman from Boston phoned in the threat and claimed a female passenger on Flight 923 had a bomb. That female passenger was then removed from the plane after it landed in Buffalo. FBI agents spoke to both women and determined it was part of a domestic dispute between the two.
Gason Patterson of Boston said that he sat directly next to the woman, who had been crying during the trip. When the plane landed in Buffalo, Patterson says the woman made it clear that she knew the police were coming for her.
"She had received a couple of calls when we landed and I had pointed out the police which were all around the entire plane," Patterson told reporters. "I said are they here for you and she said 'yup.'"
After the plane landed, passengers were taken off the plane and into the terminal, where they were swept by police dogs, authorities said.
Those passengers who chose to continue on to Chicago were placed on a new flight that took off at 11:25 a.m. JetBlue accommodated others who chose to instead return to Boston.
Police dogs also swept through the plane and checked luggage to look for anything suspicious. The plane was taken to a cargo area.
Officials said they were "very confident" no explosive device was ever on the plane.
There was no disruption to airport operations in Buffalo as a result of the incident.
There was never any danger to the public, officials said.
But, passenger Platini Diakabana said seeing police and FBI cars racing for the jet was unnerving.
"When we landed and she noticed the FBI cars were coming, and she was speaking to some people, she said 'they got me,'" Diakabana said.
The woman who allegedly phoned in the threat could face a lengthy prison sentence if charged and convicted with what may be a serious federal offense.
(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
