A plane was evacuated after a prankster sent a photograph of a suicide vest to horrified passengers and flight attendants over the weekend, reports the Independent.

The unknown sender used Apple's AirDrop feature, which allows users to easily transfer files between iOS devices using Bluetooth.

Authorities say the Florida-bound plane was about to take off from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey when the image was widely shared on board.

"Only en route to Florida" you might think, but AirDrop is now regularly used for nefarious purposes.

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Cyberflashing, as it is known, pops up with alarming regularity in the headlines and anecdotally.

A JetBlue flight 573 crewmember alerted the captain, who informed authorities Saturday morning, US time.

All 150 people on board were evacuated so their luggage could be re-screened and examined by bomb-sniffing dogs.

The culprit was likely one of those on board, as AirDrop only works within a short range. However, they were not traced.

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