A JetBlue passenger ended up spending his birthday at a different destination than he originally planned after he allegedly made a joke about the bomb that escorted him off the flight.
Mack Bjorn of Reno, Nevada boarded a JetBlue Airways flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to San Francisco for his 27th birthday on February 17th. While doing so, he “joked that (TSA) missed the bomb in his bag,” according to a Broward County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
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The arrest report adds that the witness warned the flight attendant about his comments and was asked about the remarks he made. Bjorn then “reconfirmed” to an airline employee that TSA agents had missed the bomb in his bag, the arrest report said.
Stock image of TSA screen.
Joe Raedle/Getty
Bjorn was escorted from the airport and arrested.
After they got off the flight, the suspect tried to talk, but he refused and asked for legal counsel. The bomb was never found, according to the arrest report.
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Bjorn was charged with a second-degree felony for making a false report of a bomb, arson or weapon of mass destruction.
On Tuesday, he entered a written plea of not guilty and is no longer in custody at the Broward County Jail.
In a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday, Bjorn’s attorney, George Reyes, said his client is “a good person and a newlywed who just returned from a cruise” who had “no criminal record.”
“We recognize the seriousness of the charges under Florida Statute 790.164 against my client and emphasize our commitment to a fair legal process,” Reyes’ statement continued. “My client regrets the incident, which is said to have arisen as a joke with no intention of causing fear or harm. We stress that there was no plan to act on the statement, highlighting a moment of very poor judgment rather than malice.”
“We are cooperating fully with the authorities to clarify the context and intent of the remark,” Reyes added. “Our goal is to resolve this matter by demonstrating the lack of any criminal intent behind the comments. We ask the public for their patience and understanding as we proceed, respecting the principles of justice and the presumption of innocence.”
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