A United Airlines flight bound for Spain on Saturday night was forced to return to Newark Liberty International Airport after a passenger allegedly named a Bluetooth device 'BOMB,' triggering a security scare that disrupted the journey for nearly 200 travelers.
Incident Details
The Boeing 767, operating as Flight 236 from Newark to Palma de Mallorca, departed just before 6 p.m. local time. Approximately four hours into the flight, while over the Atlantic Ocean, the aircraft made a mid-air U-turn and landed back in Newark at 10:07 p.m., according to flight tracking data from FlightAware.
United Airlines confirmed the diversion was due to a 'potential security threat' but did not specify the nature of the threat in its statement to National Post. However, multiple U.S. media outlets, including CNN and NPR, reported that a Bluetooth device was named 'BOMB,' causing alarm among passengers and crew.
Passenger Accounts
Passenger Jordan Moore, who documented the ordeal on TikTok, said the device was first noticed during takeoff. The flight crew asked all passengers to activate their Bluetooth devices, and the suspicious device remained visible for two hours before the decision was made to turn back.
'Staff continue to reassure us they believe this is a selfish joke, but that proper precautions must be taken,' Moore wrote. She later told NBC that there was confusion among passengers about whether the threat was real or a prank.
Another passenger shared a video online showing the pilot addressing the cabin, stating the diversion was 'because of one person who doesn't want to comply with instructions and because of the foolishness of this one person that wants to make a joke.' The pilot warned that federal agents would board the aircraft after landing to search for the individual, adding, 'We're not going to be taking this very lightly.'
Security Response
Upon landing, passengers were disembarked, and Port Authority police along with K-9 units swept the aircraft. No security threats were found, according to NJ.com. An audio clip of air traffic control recordings captured an exchange where a controller asked why the flight had returned, and another voice responded, 'Someone had a Bluetooth speaker and they named it a certain four-letter word. So they have to inspect the whole aircraft, including the cargo area. Passengers have to evacuate.'
Passengers were re-screened through security and departed again around 2:20 a.m., landing in Spain at 3:47 p.m. local time, more than nine hours behind schedule.
Aftermath
In a reply to comments on her TikTok post, which has been viewed over 850,000 times, Moore said the device belonged to a male passenger who was escorted away and was not on the later flight. Some reports, including from The Associated Press, suggest the accused is a 16-year-old boy.
National Post has contacted the Port Authority for more information on whether the device's owner was located and faced any charges.
Moore later shared a video showing her checking all active Bluetooth devices during the return trip, captioning it, 'Welcome to PTSD.'
