Feds probe stun gun found on JetBlue plane

Federal authorities were trying to determine Monday how a stun gun made its way aboard a commercial jet that traveled from Boston to Newark on Friday.

Around 10:30 p.m., JetBlue flight service workers saw "what they deemed to be a suspicious object" in a seat-back pocket of Flight 1179 after it had landed at Newark Liberty Airport, according to a JetBlue statement. The 96 passengers had already left the plane when the discovery was made.

Port Authority Police retrieved the stun gun -- a thin, rectangular, phone-sized device -- and turned it over to the FBI, which is leading the investigation, said Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman. He said the item was in a black case.

"The FBI, the air marshals and the TSA responded to the discovery of a prohibited item on the flight," said FBI Special Agent Greg Comcowich. "We are conducting a joint investigation about the matter, but no further details are being released at this time."

Lisa Farbstein, spokeswoman with the Transportation Security Administration, which screens all flight passengers for weapons, referred questions about the investigation to the FBI. She added that the "TSA employs multiple layers of security to minimize risk, deter future attacks and protect the traveling public."Security officials said federal air marshals do not carry stun guns.

The incident came two weeks after Nigerian national Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi boarded a flight from Kennedy Airport to Los Angeles using someone else's identification, and an expired boarding pass that did not belong to him. Noibi was arrested on felony stowaway charges and is due back in court tomorrow.

Two of the four airplanes used in the 9/11 attacks originated in Boston and Newark.