Bitter Mother Hurls False Bomb Threat At Airport Staff After Being Left Behind By Flight

A Chicago woman has been apprehended after being accused of hurling false bomb threats in frustration at airport staff after she missed her flight at Fort Lauderdale in Florida on Monday, Sept. 6.

Marina Verbitsky, 46, arrived at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with her husband and child late Monday night, Sept. 6. However, when the family realized that they had missed their flight, the matriarch became visibly angry.

Out of spite, she allegedly proceeded to yell at three airport employees saying that she had placed a bomb in her checked luggage, which was already on the plane, Fox News reported.

"She became very angry because they were not allowed to board the plane," according to the arrest report. "She was using profanities toward the employees and when she was notified the plane was taxiing to the runway with her checked luggage, she stated there was a bomb in her luggage."

Following this, the plane, which was already on the runway, was rerouted from the taxiway and back to the gate. Passengers were shortly evacuated and the plane was searched, but no explosives were found, New York Post reported.

“It was a mistake,” said a relative who asked not to be named. “She was nervous about the son needing to go to school. It was a mess but it was definitely not meant to be.”

Verbitsky has been arrested and charged with one count of false reporting concerning planting a bomb, explosive, or weapon of mass destruction. Her bail has been set at US$10,000 and she has been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation ahead of a pre-trial.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport dealt with a similar bomb scare as early as just July 10, earlier this year, during which two terminals and the entry to the airport had to be shut down.

In a similar but unrelated incident, a boy, who was 15 at the time of the incident, reportedly called the Princeton University Department of Public Safety on Sept. 19, 2020, claiming he had placed explosive devices in at least four locations in the university, including the school's art museum, chapel, main library, and Nassau Hall, NBC New York reported.

A multiagency investigation involving authorities from the United States and Canada has identified the underage suspect. He was subsequently arrested on March 24 at his grandparents’ house in South Vacherie, Louisiana, a rural community between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

The minor has been sentenced to two years probation and will also have to perform 30 hours of community service, pay a US$2,000 fine, surrender his driver’s license for six months, and undergo a psychological evaluation.