A fake bomb threat is definitely no laughing matter. However, one woman felt it was the best option when she found herself late for her flight.
Recently, at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a late passenger from Chicago posed a fake bomb threat after arriving at her departing gate later than expected. The woman arrived at her JetBlue flight gate after the doors had been closed and the plane was getting ready for take-off.
Instead of simply trying to get a later flight out, the 46-year-old alerted the staff at the airport that she had an alleged bomb in her luggage.
Marina Verbitsky is accused of telling three JetBlue airport staff members that she had an explosive in her on-flight bag after they told her she was unable to board her plane for being late. All other passengers of the flight were escorted off because of the threat Verbitsky posed. The plane was checked by the local bomb squad after 9pm and there was no bomb found on the actual plane.
She was later arrested for putting everyone’s lives potentially at risk after explaining that the bomb threat was made after being frustrated for missing her flight.
Verbitsky’s bail was held at $10,000, and she was prompted to seek mental health educational resources for jeopardizing other passenger’s flight experience.
This all follows a slew of unruly flight passenger activity after airports became more highly trafficked with eager tourists and passengers who are looking to make up for the lost time they faced during the early stages of the pandemic.
Now that travel is becoming more normalized in light of the delta variant still posing a threat, flight passengers have been on edge, and flight attendants and staff have been subjected to aggressive and unusual behavior.
Related: Unruly Passengers Force US Airline Carriers To Pause Alcohol Sales In Main Cabin