A prank involving a Bluetooth device turned into a full-scale aviation security incident on May 30, 2026, when United Airlines Flight 236 departed Newark, New Jersey, for Palma de Mallorca, Spain with 190 passengers and 12 crew members on board. About 90 minutes into the flight, while the aircraft was over the Atlantic Ocean, flight attendants began urgently asking passengers to switch off all Bluetooth devices after a suspicious device name appeared on nearby electronics.

According to air traffic control recordings and passenger accounts, one discoverable Bluetooth device had been renamed with the word “BOMB.” Crew members repeatedly instructed passengers to disable Bluetooth, warning that the prank was disrupting the flight. When the suspicious device continued appearing, the pilots followed established security procedures, declared an emergency by transmitting the 7700 squawk code, and made a 180-degree turn back to Newark. The aircraft landed safely after spending 4 hours and 24 minutes in the air, where law enforcement officers evacuated passengers and conducted a complete security inspection of both the cabin and cargo hold.

Multiple reports later identified the device as belonging to a 16-year-old passenger, although authorities have not publicly released the teenager’s identity because of their age. After the aircraft was declared safe, passengers underwent additional screening by security agencies before boarding a replacement flight the following morning, eventually arriving in Spain roughly 9½ hours behind schedule