Flight makes emergency landing at NY airport due to ‘suspicious’ passenger

A Republic Airways flight from Indianapolis had to make an
emergency landing on Saturday after a passenger was reported suspicious and
erratic behaviour by a co-passenger.

The pilot had to halt the airplane on the taxiway short of its
intended gate around 3 p.m. Shortly after the man was taken into custody on the
tarmac of LaGuardia Airport.

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“This was in response to reports by passengers of
suspicious and erratic behaviour by a fellow passenger,” said Thomas Topousis,
the spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which
operates the airport.

Video posted on social media showed a man spread-eagled face
down on the runway asphalt as a pair of emergency personnel knelt beside him.
The man did not appear to resist.

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Other passengers appeared bewildered by the scene as they
were escorted away from the plane.

A guy on an aircraft was interviewed by Eyewitness News. He
claimed he heard a woman repeat, “Don’t do that, don’t do that,” from
approximately five or six seats behind him. It’s unclear what she was referring
to, but the passenger reports that the reaction caused panic on the plane right
away.

In an email, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security said “nothing harmful was on the aircraft.”

Republic Airways said Flight 4817 was operating under the
banner of American Airlines and that the on-board incident occurred near the
end of the flight, a roughly 2-hour trip from Indianapolis to LaGuardia.

“Upon exiting the active runway, the aircraft stopped
on a taxiway and conducted a precautionary emergency evacuation,” Republic
Airways said in a statement. “Law enforcement and first responders met the
aircraft and the passenger involved in the incident has been taken into
custody.”

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Police are presently questioning the suspected passenger,
according to the FAA.

There were no injuries to any of the 76 passengers and six
crew members aboard the flight.

(With the Associated Press inputs)