A tense situation unfolded mid-air when an American Airlines flight en route to Chicago was diverted for an emergency landing in Detroit. This decision came after a passenger reportedly made a bomb threat, according to authorities.
The passenger, identified as Jason Douglas Pazol, allegedly caused a disturbance due to issues with his medication during flight 2819. The Justice Department reported that Pazol alarmed fellow passengers and crew by proclaiming, “I will blow this plane up,” during the incident on March 29.
Court documents reveal that Pazol further escalated the situation with threats like, “I swear to God, I am going to do something terrible.”
With 150 individuals on board, the flight had originated from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The threat prompted a swift diversion to Detroit Metro Airport to ensure passenger safety.
Upon landing, all passengers and crew were safely evacuated, and the aircraft was moved to a secure location for inspection. Authorities conducted thorough checks for explosives, which confirmed no threats, allowing the passengers and crew to be re-screened before continuing their journey.
Everyone was removed from the aircraft, and it was taken to an isolated area and checked for explosives. None were found and the passengers and crew were re-screened.
A federal complaint said that Pazol said he made the threat because he wanted to prevent “an outburst. He felt that the passengers on the flight were not safe around him, so he made the threat to force the aircraft to land.”
No one was injured.
“I know why people say stuff like that,” Pazol later admitted to authorities, federal prosecutors said. “I know why people say, ‘Get this f—— plane on the ground,’ and ‘Blow it up,’ because that’s what people do to get planes landed. Not because I want the plane landed, but because I am f—— sick.”
The flight was forced to land in Detroit. (Jim West/Getty Images)
Pazol is charged with conveying false or misleading information.
After authorities determined he was unarmed, Pazol was taken to a hospital for an evaluation, court documents show.
Fox News Digital has reached out to American Airlines.
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