Firefighters and police personnel converged on a airplane that had traveled from Indianapolis and landed at La Guardia Airport on Saturday afternoon after a “safety incident,” based on a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.
The airplane landed shortly after 3 p.m., and all of the passengers obtained off board safely, mentioned the spokesman, Steve Kulm.
The flight, a Republic Airways plane working as American Flight 4817, declared an emergency and landed “in response to passenger conduct close to the top of the flight,” a Republic spokesman, Jon Austin, mentioned.
“Our crew responded to the state of affairs in accordance with our procedures and with professionalism and a priority for security of all aboard,” he mentioned. “Legislation enforcement and first responders met the plane, and the passenger concerned within the incident has been taken into custody.”
A passenger aboard the flight described a scene of pandemonium after the airplane landed. Fawad Khuja, who was seated within the fourth row, mentioned that the airplane had braked quickly after it touched down and that passengers behind him had began yelling to get off the airplane instantly.
He heard folks saying {that a} man had “a suspicious system.”
“Folks had been panicking and getting shoved to the bottom,” he mentioned. “The slide opened, and I jumped out. Folks had been sliding and rolling all the way down to the ground. It was loopy.”
Mr. Khuja, 19, mentioned that after he had gotten off the airplane, he noticed emergency responders throw a person to the bottom.
“The girl subsequent to him was speaking to him the entire time and telling him to not do it,” he mentioned. “I believe the man had gone loopy.”
It was unclear precisely how many individuals had been aboard the airplane. American Airways, Republic Airways and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported that it had carried between 76 and 78 passengers and 4 to 6 crew members. There have been no accidents reported.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York mentioned on Twitter on Saturday night time {that a} passenger was taken into custody and “there isn’t a purpose to imagine there’s any hazard to New Yorkers.” She mentioned that her workplace was monitoring the state of affairs. La Guardia mentioned on Twitter that the airport was working usually.
A Port Authority spokesman didn’t determine the one who was taken into custody, however he mentioned the person’s “suspicious and erratic conduct” had prompted different passengers to alert the pilot.
“All passengers had been safely eliminated,” the spokesman, Thomas A. Topousis, mentioned. “A number of who had been closest to the passenger with erratic conduct had been interviewed.”
He mentioned the individual on the heart of the episode was being “detained for questioning” by the police.
A video taken on the bottom confirmed emergency responders surrounding a person who was on his abdomen as passengers stood close by. In one other video, evacuated passengers are informed to “step again” and provides responders and the person house.
The U.S. Division of Homeland Safety and the F.B.I. didn’t reply to emails or cellphone calls on Saturday afternoon.
The flight took off from Indianapolis Worldwide Airport round 1 p.m., based on knowledge from FlightAware.
