7 People Taken to the Hospital Following 'Severe Turbulence' on United Flight from Tel Aviv to New Jersey
United Airlines said that customers "were seen by medical personnel for possible motion sickness"
Gary Hershorn/Getty
United Airlines flight proceeds to a gate at Newark Liberty International Airport in January 2024Seven people were taken to the hospital after a United Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Newark, New Jersey, experienced "severe turbulence" earlier this week.
On Friday, United Airlines Flight 85 landed at Stewart International Airport (SWF) in Orange County, New York, after "high winds" at Newark, a United spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
"One passenger deplaned due to a medical incident, and a few other customers were seen by medical personnel for possible motion sickness," the spokesperson said. "The flight refueled and continued to Newark."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) noted on its website that the plane landed around 6:45 p.m. local time following reports of one passenger's "medical emergency" on the Boeing 787.
In a statement to several outlets — including CNN, NBC News and CBS News — New Windsor EMS Chief Michael Bigg said seven people were taken to the hospital after the plane's flight crew told an EMS unit that the plane "hit severe turbulence."
There were "no serious injuries or ailments," he added.
“On arrival, our first EMS unit on the scene was encountered by a flight crew who stated they hit severe turbulence while landing at Newark and were diverted New York International Airport and they advised our crew that they had multiple people on the plane complaining of nausea, some chest pain, from the turbulence,” Bigg said, also noting that 319 people were on board the plane total.
“We evaluated about 30 people, and we transported 7 to the local hospital just for observation, no serious injuries or ailments,” he added in his statement. “Most people just wanted to get checked out at the local emergency room.”
The FAA will investigate the flight.
New Windsor EMS did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Saturday.
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The Associated Press previously reported that United Airlines vice president of corporate safety, Sasha Johnson, said the FAA was increasing oversight of the airline.
The news followed reports of a March 16 flight that landed safely with a panel missing, and a hydraulics issue on a flight from San Francisco to Mexico on March 8. Last weekend, a flight from San Francisco to Denver had also struck a bird and returned to its point of origin.
“Over the next several weeks, we will begin to see more of an FAA presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities,” Johnson wrote in a note to employees, per the AP. “We welcome their engagement and are very open to hear from them about what they find and their perspective on things we may need to change to make us even safer.”
In a statement to customers on March 18, United CEO Scott Kirby shared that safety is “our highest priority and is at the center of everything we do.”
“Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety,” he wrote. “While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus.”
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