Ivanka Trump, children harassed on JetBlue flight in New York

NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A passenger was removed from a JetBlue flight at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday for targeting the daughter and son in-law of President-elect Donald Trump for harassment.

Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were on the plane when a man began harassing them, according to news reports.

"The decision to remove a customer from a flight is not taken lightly," the airline, which operates a hub at JFK, said. "If the crew determines that a customer is causing conflict on the aircraft, the customer will be asked to deplane, especially if the crew feels the situation runs the risk of escalation during flight.

"In this instance, our team worked to re-accommodate the party on the next available flight."

NBC News reported that a man and his husband were removed from the flight for the incident, which was detailed by the passenger's husband on Twitter. First, he said his husband actively harassed them but later claimed he was merely "overheard."

"Ivanka and Jared at JFK, flying commercial. My husband chasing them down to harass them," Matthew Lasner's first tweet, which was later deleted, said.

"JetBlue kicked us off our flight when a [flight] attendant overheard my husband expressing displeasure about flying w/Trumps," another tweet said.

Reports said the harassing customer berated the billionaire's daughter, her husband and their three children.

"Your father is ruining the country," the man said, according to TMZ. "Why is she on our flight? She should be flying private."

As he was removed from the plane, the man reportedly shouted, "You're kicking me off for expressing my opinion?"

The passenger reportedly was holding his own child during the tirade, reports said. The president-elect's 35-year-old daughter, from his marriage to Ivana, reportedly ignored the harassment and distracted her children with crayons.

Ivanka Trump and Kushner are under the protection of the U.S. Secret Service, as are all immediate family members of U.S. presidents and presidents-elect.