Bomb Scare That Forced NYC Flight's Emergency Landing Was Just A Ridiculous Error

KEY POINTS

An American Airlines flight from Indianapolis made an emergency landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport Saturday
A passenger reportedly mistook another traveler's camera for a bomb, which prompted the landing
The man with the camera was later cleared and did not face charges in what authorities say was a "misunderstanding"

An American Airlines flight from Indianapolis was forced to make an emergency landing in New York over the weekend after a woman mistook a fellow airline passenger's antique camera for a bomb, according to reports.

New York-bound American Airlines Flight 4817 — operated by Republic Airways — made an emergency landing at LaGuardia Airport in Queens just after 3 p.m. Saturday, the New York Daily News reported, citing unnamed sources.

"The aircraft landed safely, and all customers deplaned without incident," American Airlines said in a statement to ABC 7, adding that the emergency landing was caused by a "potential security issue."

A vintage camera aficionado onboard the flight was mistaken for a would-be bomber by a woman who was traveling with her husband and children on the same flight, sources told New York Daily News.

The man, who was sitting in the same row as the woman's husband, was seen scrolling through videos and photos of vintage cameras, but the woman thought he was looking up bomb-making instructions, according to the outlet's sources.

He later pulled out his own camera and adjusted it, which allegedly convinced the woman that he was setting a timer on a detonator, sources said. The identities of the man with the camera and the woman were not disclosed.

Port Authority officers and federal agents took the man into custody and detained him for several hours before he was given the all-clear, according to sources. The two bags he checked in were reportedly taken off the aircraft and screened as well.

"The JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force), the FBI and the Port Authority Police Department determined that there was no criminality on the part of the passenger and he was released," Port Authority spokesman Thomas Topousis said.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also told the Associated Press in an email that "nothing harmful was on the aircraft."

A video posted on social media showed a man lying face down on the purported runway of LaGuardia as a pair of emergency personnel knelt beside him. The man did not appear to resist.