QUEENS — A Florida-bound plane was temporarily grounded when a man threatened those on board the aircraft at LaGuardia Airport, officials said.
The plane — Spirit Airlines Flight 197 — was scheduled to take off shortly before 11 a.m. when the man refused to turn off his cell phone and threatened flight crew, who decided to ground the plane, Spirit Airlines and Port Authority officials said.
There were 145 passengers on board when the incident occurred, said a spokeswoman for the airline.
The man, whose name was not released, was taken into custody following the incident, and his bag was searched, officials said.
The nature of the threat was not immediately clear, but it didn't appear to be credible, authorities said.
Afterward, the plane was cleared to take off.
