A flight had to change its course when a 16-year-old’s Fitbit watch Bluetooth name caused alarm among passengers. The teen had labeled his fitness tracker “Bomb,” which appeared on other people’s Bluetooth devices. The incident occurred on a United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Mallorca, Spain. The flight departed around 6 pm on Saturday but returned around 9:30 pm the same day.
Concerned about a potential security threat, the flight was redirected for authorities to inspect a suspicious object onboard. Despite repeated instructions to switch off all Bluetooth devices, two remained active.
Emergency services eventually determined that the device named “Bomb” was actually a Fitbit belonging to a teenager on the flight. United Airlines reported that the plane carried 190 passengers and 12 crew members, all of whom had to disembark for a security check by port authority police.
Following re-screening by Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection officers, passengers reboarded the plane, which then resumed its journey to Mallorca. The teenager involved was not charged locally, but the FBI initiated an investigation into the incident.
United Airlines confirmed that the flight safely returned to Newark before proceeding to Palma De Mallorca, Spain, with a new crew. This incident followed another security concern on a different United Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis, which was diverted to Wisconsin due to an unruly passenger trying to breach the cockpit.
Law enforcement personnel and the FBI responded to the incident upon landing, where the disruptive passenger was eventually subdued. The crew member confirmed that the passenger was seated and accompanied by law enforcement officers after multiple attempts to breach the cockpit.