Los Angeles-bound flight diverted to Chicago due to bomb threat
A United Airlines flight headed from New Jersey to Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing in Chicago Wednesday morning due to a bomb threat, according to passengers and local media reports.
United 1533, a Boeing 787, departed Newark International Airport just after 6:00 a.m. local time.
Rashad Robinson, a passenger on the flight, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the threat was found in a lavatory.
“Someone allegedly went into the bathroom and made a bomb threat on the bathroom window and now we’ve made an emergency landing in Chicago,” Robinson said.
The flight diverted to Chicago O’Hare Airport where it landed safely at 7:44 a.m. local time and passengers were removed from the jet.
According to CBS2 News, a bomb-sniffing K-9 found a suspicious bag connected to the note, and a robot was deployed to move it away. Police were questioning the passenger who checked the bag, CBS2 said.
It was not immediately clear if anything suspicious was found in the baggage.
United Airlines shared very limited information in a statement to KTLA 5 News.
“United flight 1533 diverted to Chicago this morning due to a potential security concern,” the airline said. “The flight landed safely and met local law enforcement upon arrival. Customers deplaned and we expect the flight to depart for Los Angeles later this afternoon.”
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