Fake Bomb Found on Jetliner En Route from L.A. to New York
A harmless device that looked like a bomb was found aboard a United Airlines jet en route from Los Angeles Wednesday after the airline received a faxed bomb threat.
The Boeing 767 landed safely and was taken to a remote area of Kennedy Airport, where the 48 passengers and 10 crew members left the plane by portable stairs.
A package found on the aircraft contained a harmless device rigged to look like a bomb and included a note demanding $600,000, said Port Authority spokesman Bill Cahill, who added that the FBI is investigating.
Law enforcement sources said a rambling letter was faxed to the airline’s Chicago headquarters while Flight 46 was flying to New York. The letter ordered that the money be delivered to an office in mid-town Manhattan, according to sources who insisted on anonymity.
The sources said a crew member found the package in an overhead bin, where the note said it would be, and immersed it in water at the rear of the plane.
Passenger Harold Delbeck, an accountant from Orange County, said the captain told passengers that there was a bomb threat and asked them to move forward to empty seats. He said the passengers were calm and helped one another.
Port Authority police said that the airport was temporarily closed and that other flights were diverted for the landing.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
