An American Airlines flight was diverted after someone used pepper spray, the FAA confirmed.

The flight was headed to New York from Miami when it was diverted to Jacksonville, Florida.

The FAA said the spray had been "inadvertently" released in the cabin.

An American Airlines flight to New York was diverted to Jacksonville, Florida, after someone used pepper spray on board the plane.

American Airlines flight 1680 was diverted to Jacksonville on its way from Miami to New York, according to flight tracking service Flightradar 24.

The Federal Aviation Administration told Insider the plane was diverted "after a bottle of pepper spray was inadvertently sprayed in the cabin."

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"The aircraft was cleaned after diverting and continued to LaGuardia Airport in New York without further incident," the statement added. The FAA also said they would be investigating the incident.

The incident created a stir over on the subreddit r/americanairlines. People who claimed to be passengers flocked to the subreddit to talk about the chaos they said ensued on the flight after the pepper spray went off.

The person who started the Reddit thread said that their significant other was "confused" when the plane diverted to Jacksonville around half an hour into the flight, after "people in the back started coughing and couldn't see."

A Redditor with the user ID Lost_Ad_4562 claimed to also have been on the flight.

"People thought we were going to die," the Lost_Ad_4562 wrote on Monday.

"It was incredibly scary not being able to breathe, having burning skin/ eyes, having everyone panicking around, and being stuck in a small space," Lost_Ad_4562 added.

In an email to Insider, Lost_Ad_4562 — who gave her name as Marie — said the plane had to be cleaned, and everyone had to switch to another aircraft to continue onward to LaGuardia.

Marie also disputed the FAA's conclusion that the pepper-spray incident had happened accidentally. She said she got a good view of the incident — and that the FAA's decision that the spray incident happened inadvertently "doesn't sit well" with her.



Marie told Insider that the passengers had to deplane and wait for another aircraft to arrive.

"We eventually flew out of Jacksonville at 10:29pm with a new crew and the plane wasn't ready for a food service," she told Insider.

Insider independently verified Marie's flight schedule and seat number. The FAA did not respond to follow-up questions from Insider on whether the pepper spray was set off by accident, or on purpose.

According to the Transportation Security Administration and American Airlines' guidelines, defense sprays like pepper spray aren't allowed in carry-on bags. But a single "4 fl. oz. (118 ml) container of mace or pepper spray is permitted in checked baggage provided it is equipped with a safety mechanism to prevent accidental discharge."

Representatives for American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.

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