A United Airlines flight bound for New York City was diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport Saturday morning after a report prompted a response from the local police bomb squad. Authorities later determined there was no credible threat.
Flight 2092, a Boeing 737 traveling from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to LaGuardia Airport, landed in Pittsburgh to address a “a potential security concern,” the airline said in a statement.
The FBI’s Pittsburgh Division said in a statement that bomb techs and special agents responded to the threat. The Allegheny County Police Department said its bomb squad was called in around 11:47 a.m. to assist with the investigation.
Police and K9 units conducted a sweep of the plane, passengers and luggage, but officials said no explosives or other credible threats were found, according to an Allegheny County Police Department Facebook post.
The aircraft’s 159 passengers and six crew members were evacuated “safely” upon landing using emergency slides, United said in the statement. No injuries were reported.
Alek Lewis covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island for Newsday. He previously worked as a reporter for RiverheadLOCAL, where he received awards from the New York Press Association and the Press Club of Long Island for his reporting on local government and politics. A Riverhead native, he is a graduate of Stony Brook University.