- A 25-year-old passenger was arrested after allegedly writing a midair message threatening to hijack a Newark-bound United Airlines flight, forcing the aircraft to turn back to Las Vegas shortly after takeoff on Saturday night.
- The passenger allegedly wrote that he was “gonna hijack this” plane and “crash ur row only,” according to the criminal complaint. The document didn’t say how the message was sent or to whom it was directed.
- Las Vegas police detained the suspect upon landing and charged him with making a threat or providing false information regarding an act of terrorism, a charge that carries a potential sentence of 1 to 20 years in prison.
- United Airlines said that the flight with 150 passengers on board returned safely to Las Vegas to address a potential security concern, resulting in an overnight delay before departing for Newark on Sunday morning.
- The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident and reported that there have already been over 1,400 unruly passenger incidents logged in 2026.
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