No charges for passenger in LaGuardia emergency landing

A passenger who caused an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing at LaGuardia Airport on Saturday will not be charged, according to reports from The New York Times.

Authorities determined that the passenger “did not make a verbal threat” and was not carrying a suspicious item, as stated by a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman. 

The spokesman, Thomas Topousis, said Sunday that the unidentified man was held for questioning by the Port Authority Police Department and the FBI before being released. 

Topousis stated Sunday, “The Port Authority Police Department determined there was no criminality.”  

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) tweeted a response to the situation Saturday. 

Earlier today, a pilot decided to make an emergency landing at @LGAairport due to a passenger disturbance. The passenger is in custody.

We are monitoring the situation, and there is no reason to believe there is any danger to New Yorkers at this time.

— Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 9, 2021

A woman from Indianapolis who was on the flight with her 7-year-old son told CNN as soon as the plane landed “the pilots and flight attendants started yelling ‘Evacuate! Evacuate!’ and we all got off the plane.”

LaGuardia Airport also issued a statement on Twitter Saturday saying that the situation was being handled. 

The earlier incident involving a disruptive American Airlines/Republic Airways passenger and an evacuation of passengers has been resolved, and the airport is operating normally.
*JC

— LaGuardia Airport. Wear a Face Covering. (@LGAairport) October 9, 2021

The Republic Airways-operated flight, which originated in Indianapolis, had undergone an emergency landing at LaGuardia and an evacuation following the man’s unruly behavior toward the end of the flight.

At the time of the emergency evacuation, authorities had found no serious threat to the safety of the flight crew or the passengers of the flight. The authorities also noted that the plane had been swept for security and no criminality or suspicious devices had been found.