VP Candidate Pence Plane Skids Off New York Runway; No Injuries Reported

The incident occurred less than two weeks before the U.S. presidential election, around crucial campaign days for VP candidate Pence and his running mate Donald Trump. No one was injured in the incident.

By Friday, VP candidate Pence will be back on the road to hit the campaign trail.

The Indiana governor tweeted after the incident, saying "So thankful everyone on our plane is safe. Grateful for our first responders & the concern & prayers of so many.

So thankful everyone on our plane is safe. Grateful for our first responders & the concern & prayers of so many. Back on the trail tomorrow!

— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 28, 2016

At about 8 p.m. local time (midnight GMT), officials from the New York City emergency management said that the airport was closed and urged passengers to check with their airlines for further information.

An hour later, however, the agency said that the airport had reopened, but only for limited air traffic, telling passengers to expect delays.

In recent weeks, Trump and VP candidate Pence have slipped in polls, partly due to negative public reaction induced by the release of a decade-old video in which Trump made lewd comments about women and said he could grab them by their genitals because he was a celebrity.

Since then, women who claim to have been groped by Trump have come forward. Trump, however, denies all the said claims.

VP candidate Pence was scheduled to attend a fundraiser at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Thursday but cancelled after his plane skids off the runway, MSNBC reports.

Live television footage showed VP candidate Pence standing in the rain talking to police and other officials, near the plane among emergency vehicles.

Trump called Pence from his motorcade en route to a rally in Geneva, Ohio. Stephanie Grisham, Trump's spokeswoman, said he's glad that everyone on board is safe.

Thirty people were onboard the plane, including VP candidate Pence's wife, Karen, and daughter Charlotte. The plane was coming from Fort Dodge, Iowa. Pence had come from a campaign event. The takeoff was delayed for about two hours due to bad weather in New York.