Jania Ashlynn
United flight 3613 from New Jersey to Vermont had to execute an emergency response on Sunday due to an alarming note found inside of a bathroom.
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In The Air
The flight left the Newark airport at 3:14 p.m. with 65 passengers headed toward Burlington International Airport before the plane could land, the pilot was notified of a potential threat.
Investigators have yet to describe the details of the exact threat. The only insight into the incident that’s been released so far is from a passenger aboard the flight. All they could offer to the local news outlet, WPTZ, is that “someone left a note.”
The pilot alerted air traffic control and the airport began its emergency response. The airport shut down for several hours and when the plane landed at 4:30 p.m., it was ushered into an isolated area on the tarmac.
The local Vermont Police, bomb squad, Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI were on the scene. Passengers weren’t given much to go on while they were in the air or after they landed. They had to remain on the plane for two hours before they were able to get off.
Safe Landing
At 6:30 p.m.,the K-9 units were ushered onto the plane to do a sweep of the cabin. When the aircraft was cleared, they were finally allowed to leave, but they couldn’t take their belongings with them.
A Vermont state Senator Phil Baruth was among the passengers on board. “They sniffed up and down the plane and then they sniffed each passenger. They isolated us with police at both ends and they don’t know whether one of us could be a bad actor so that doesn’t feel great,” he shared.
“It feels unfair on one hand that someone left a note and ruined everyone’s day. Obviously someone a little deranged,” he added, “On the other hand, authorities here handled everything perfectly and at no time did I feel unsafe.”
Police Chief Jon Murad shared additional statement about the incident. “What we have here is a safe group of people. We have a safe plane. We have a safe airport. We have procedures that were followed and we have a successful outcome.”
