An international flight was forced to turn around on Saturday night over a passenger’s Bluetooth device.
The United Airlines flight to Spain took off from Newark Liberty International Airport at around 6pm, but landed back at the airport at roughly 9.30pm, after security was flagged to inspect a suspicious Bluetooth device named ‘bomb,’ the New York Post reports.
But the device wound up just being a 16 year old’s Fitbit.
Passengers had already been directed to turn off their devices, but the alarming name continued to show that it was online, according to Jordan Moore, a passenger on board the aircraft who shared her experience on TikTok.
‘This network was discovered by a passenger during takeoff, and flight staff was immediately notified,’ she wrote.
Still, the device remained online even after crew members’ second request to turn Bluetooth off on all devices.
The situation was then ‘escalated up the chain of command’ and the call was eventually made to turn the flight around.
‘Staff continues to reassure us that they believe this is a “selfish joke” but that proper precautions must be taken in order to reach the safest possible outcome,’ Moore wrote, before lamenting: ‘Who tf labels their Bluetooth network “BOMB,” what kind of sick joke is this?’
A United Airlines flight bound for Spain was forced to turn around on Saturday after a teenage passenger named his Fitbit ‘bomb’ and it appeared available on Bluetooth devices
The flight took off from Newark Liberty International Airport at around 6pm, but landed back at the airport at roughly 9.30pm
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey later confirmed the incident, telling PEOPLE the plane ‘landed [back in Newark] without incident.’
All 190 passengers and 12 crew members were forced to evacuate the Boeing 767 while Port Authority police with K9 units swept the aircraft.
Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Patrol officers then re-screened all of the passengers before they were able to board again.
‘United Flight 236 from Newark to Palma de Mallorca, Spain returned to Newark to address a potential security concern,’ a United spokesperson said.
‘The flight continued on to Palma de Mallorca with a new crew.’
Flight records show the flight then took off again at 2.19am the following morning.
The unidentified teenage passenger has not been hit with any local charges in connection with the incident, but the FBI is now investigating, according to the Post.
The Daily Mail has reached out to United, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the FBI for comment.
