Foetus found on American Airlines plane at LaGuardia Airport

An American Airlines plane taxis at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. Photos / AP

Investigators remained tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a foetus aboard an American Airlines jet that was parked in a maintenance hangar at New York's LaGuardia Airport today.

WNBC New York, citing unnamed sources, said that a cleaning crew discovered the 5 -month to 6-month-old foetus in the toilet of one of the aircraft's bathrooms today. The jet, which had flown from Charlotte to LaGuardia on Tuesday, was parked in a maintenance hangar.

CBS News reported that a member of the cleaning crew that was preparing the jet for a planned flight, discovered a large amount of toilet paper in one of the toilets and began to remove it only to discover what appeared to be the foot of a foetus.

Officials with the New York & New Jersey Port Authority, which manages the airport, said the investigation has been turned over to the Queens County District Attorney's Office. A spokeswoman for Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown confirmed the investigation, but declined to offer further details.

A spokeswoman for New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed they are looking into what they believe is a human foetus found "deceased on an airplane," but offered few other details.

"We will release [our] determination when the investigation is complete," spokeswoman Aja Worthy-Davis said.

Officials at American Airlines said they are cooperating with authorities.

"As we continue to learn more about this tragic and sensitive situation, we are actively cooperating with law enforcement about this situation," an airline spokesman said.

Airport officials released few details about the early morning incident. They tweeted about possible delays but did not mention the reason. They later noted that the plane was cleared and that they did not anticipate additional impacts.