DENVER -- Police are investigating the apparent suicide of an airplane passenger that forced a Los Angeles-bound flight to divert to Denver.

Authorities said a man was found hanging in a lavatory of the United Airlines flight Wednesday night.

The plane departed Washington, D.C., en route to LAX, but had to detour to Denver. Passengers were put on another plane before the flight took off again for California.

The Denver medical examiner's office identified the man Thursday as Gerald Georgettis, 56, of Miami, Fla.

According to the Miami TV station WPLG, Georgettis was involved in an arson incident on Saturday at a Ford dealership in Miami. Miami-Dade police said Georgettis was upset about the price he paid for a new Ford Escape.

According to police, Georgettis drove his vehicle into the showroom of Metro Ford, poured gasoline over the showroom and set it on fire. Contacted by the TV station the following day, Georgettis said it was a stupid thing to do and he regretted it.

Fire officials said the blaze scorched about a dozen cars, including a limited edition 2006 Ford GT Heritage. Only 250 of the cars that sell for $150,000 were made.

Georgettis was charged with first-degree arson and felony criminal mischief in connection with the incident.

The station said he quit his job as a supervisor with the city of North Miami Beach the day after the television interview. He had managed and booked acts into the city's Performing Arts Theater for the last four years.

It's not yet known how Georgettis got from Miami to Washington, D.C. for the flight, or why he was going to Los Angeles.

Denver police detective Virginia Lopez said no other passengers on the United flight were ever in danger.

"Right now, everything leads us to believe the male involved did commit suicide," she said.

United officials did not immediately return a call.

Last month, the El Paso County coroner ruled that a Sacramento, Calif., woman had committed suicide on an America West flight between Cleveland and Phoenix by overdosing on morphine. That flight made an unscheduled landing Jan. 6 in Colorado Springs after Stephanie Marson was found unconscious in her seat.