Passenger on United Plane to Newark Made Phony Bomb Threat During Flight, Officials Say

A woman who made a bomb threat during a United Airlines flight to Newark Liberty International Airport was taken into custody when the plane landed Saturday night, officials said.

Police boarded the plane, United Flight 2329 from Chicago, about 9:40 p.m. after it landed in Newark and took the passenger for evaluation at a nearby hospital, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

“A female passenger on board the plane made a verbal bomb threat during the flight,” Farbstein said. “The plane landed at Newark and law enforcement removed the woman from the plane. Officials swept the plane and found nothing dangerous on board.”

Passengers remained on the Boeing 737 for about 40 minutes during the incident, tweeted Stefan Bondy, a sports reporter for the New York Daily News.

"Plane just landed and pilot said we have a serious situation and can't leave our seats," Bondy tweeted. "Cops were waiting for us. Never seen this before."

Bondy later tweeted: "It was a bomb threat. Don't know why the protocol is to keep us on the plane if there's a bomb. I'm going home."

The passenger’s name was not released. A spokesperson for United Airlines was not immediately available to comment Monday morning.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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