Autistic boy and mom removed from plane

RALEIGH-DURHAM, N.C., June 25 (UPI) -- An American Eagle plane ready to take off for New Jersey returned to the gate at Raleigh-Durham, N.C., to remove an autistic toddler and his mother.

Janice Farrell told ABC's "Good Morning American" Wednesday she and her son, Jarret, 2, were ordered off the aircraft Monday because Jarret wouldn't calm down.

"The child had been crying and screaming uncontrollably, to the point where the child's well-being was in question," said a statement issued by American Airlines, the parent company of American Eagle.

The statement said the two were removed primarily because Janice Farrell kept her carry-on bag on the floor in front of her seat.

Farrell told "Good Morning America" she let the flight attendant place her carry-on in an overhead compartment and had told the cabin crew that yelling at her son to calm down only made the situation worse.

She said if the crew had been more patient and understanding, the situation might not have escalated.