Dead Fetus Found on American Airlines Flight at LaGuardia Airport, Sources Say

A cleaning crew found a fetus in the toilet of a plane lavatory as the aircraft sat in a hangar at LaGuardia Airport Tuesday, law enforcement sources familiar with the case tell News 4.

The grisly discovery was made before 7 a.m. aboard an American Airlines flight that had landed at the Queens hub Monday night from Charlotte, North Carolina. Sources say the fetus appears to have been about 5 to 6 months old, but that's preliminary. The medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy. 

“The OCME can confirm we’re investigating what we believe to be a human fetus found deceased on an airplane," a statement from the city medical examiner's office said. "We will release determination when investigation is complete.”

American's flight tracker showed the plane, flight 1942, left Charlotte at 8:56 p.m. and arrived at LaGuardia's Terminal B at 10:44 p.m. Monday. Photos from the scene showed Port Authority cops surround the jet on a tarmac Tuesday after it apparently was removed from the hangar for further investigation.

American Airlines referred all questions to law enforcement, telling News 4, "As we continue to learn more about this tragic and sensitive situation, we are actively cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation."

The Queens district attorney's office says it is also investigating. The medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy to determine how the fetus died.