A Southwest Airlines jet that took off from San Francisco International Airport made an emergency landing in San Jose on Wednesday after a passenger was caught smoking in the plane's restroom, officials said.
Southwest Flight 1250 was on its way to Los Angeles when it made a safe emergency landing at Mineta San Jose International Airport a little after 4 p.m., according to airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes.
The flight left SFO at 3:21 p.m., 51 minutes after its scheduled departure, according to Southwest's online flight tracker.
A passenger on the plane told NBC Bay Area a man was smoking in the plane's restroom, which triggered an alarm and caused the plane to divert to San Jose. Southwest later confirmed "a customer was allegedly smoking in the aft lavatory."
Passenger Edmund Lo said the man had boarded the jet in a wheelchair, but then got up and walked around. When the plane reached cruising altitude, the man went to the restroom, and moments later, the alarm sounded, Lo said.
When the man returned to his seat, he smelled like marijuana, Lo said.
Southwest Airlines released a statement Wednesdsay:
Local
"Southwest Airlines Flight 1250 with scheduled service from San Francisco to Los Angeles landed safely after diverting to San Jose following indications a customer was allegedly smoking in the aft lavatory. The flight landed without incident where it was met by local law enforcement, and the customer in question was turned over to local authorities. Our employees in San Jose are working to accommodate the remaining 32 customers on other aircraft to continue their journeys."
No further details were available.
