Plane Evacuated After Passenger's 'Stupid Comment'

A passenger in Connecticut learned the hard way on Thursday that an aircraft is no place to be making remarks about bombs. Police say Jarret Tucker was placing his luggage in an overhead compartment on a plane at Tweed New Haven Regional Airport when he said, "I hope that's not a bomb," referring to another passenger's bag, NBC Connecticut reports. Police say he also remarked, "I hope we don't crash, there has been a lot of plane crashes lately." In a statement, New Haven police said, "Based on his statements and the effect they had on other passengers, Tucker was removed from the plane and taken into custody,"

The airport said it followed protocol and evacuated the Avelo Airlines aircraft and the terminal for a "full security sweep," the Connecticut Post reports. "The investigation confirmed that no bomb was present, and the remark—though made sarcastically—disrupted airport operations and the safety of its passengers," police said. Tucker, 31, was charged with second-degree breach of peace. "Based on clarifying questions that the officers had, he did not actually threaten to blow up the airplane," New Haven police spokesman Christian Bruckhart tells the Post. He says Tucker admitted making a "stupid comment about a bomb and plane crashes." (More airline passengers stories.)