NEW YORK — Travelers at New York’s LaGuardia Airport found themselves in a mess of delays and missed connections Saturday after a bomb scare involving a homeless man.
LaGuardia’s central terminal was evacuated from 5:30 to 9 a.m., after the man entered the building with a fake bomb in a bag, then acted like he was trying to detonate it, police said.
The episode ended with a quick arrest, but it disrupted travel plans for thousands of people as flights were postponed and vehicle traffic to the airport was briefly halted. Delays rippled across the country.
Authorities identified the man as Scott McGann, a 32-year-old who had apparently been living on New York City’s streets for at least a year. McGann has been arrested in the city at least three times in the past two years, most recently in June, authorities said.
McGann arrived at the airport dirty and disheveled, but carrying a valid ticket for a United Airlines flight headed to Chicago, with connecting flights to Oakland, Calif., where he has family.
A relative purchased the ticket, said John Kelly, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
McGann faces charges including placing a false bomb in a transportation facility and making terroristic threats.
