Military jets were scrambled Friday to escort a United Airlines flight diverted to Denver International Airport when a passenger became unruly and claimed to have “some kind of explosive device,” authorities said.
Passengers subdued the man as he tried to open a door during the flight, some aboard the plane said after landing.
Jose Manuel Pelayo-Ortega was arrested after the plane landed at about 4:30 p.m., FBI spokeswoman Monique Kelso said.
F-16s from Buckley Air Force Base were sent to intercept the A320 Airbus, which was traveling from Chicago to Sacramento, Calif., DIA spokesman Chuck Cannon said.
Just after 4:30 p.m., Flight 735 with 144 passengers and crew on board, which departed O’Hare International Airport two hours earlier, landed safely at DIA and the plane was emptied, Cannon said.
No devices were found, and the unruly man, traveling with his brother, was questioned by officials with the FBI and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, Cannon said.
The plane was parked on a taxiway east of the airport while dogs searched the cabin, cargo area, the man’s luggage and his brother’s bags, Cannon said. It departed DIA about 8:30 p.m., and it continued its flight to Sacramento, an airline spokesman said.
No injuries were reported.
“It’s caused no impact to aircraft operations,” Cannon said. “The rest of the airport is operating normally.”
9News contributed to this report.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
