United Flight Returns to Las Vegas After Passenger Threat
Police arrested a 25-year-old man on charges of making a terroristic threat after the plane diverted back to its origin city.
A United Airlines flight bound for Newark, New Jersey, returned to Las Vegas shortly after takeoff Saturday night due to a report of a passenger making a terroristic threat. Las Vegas police detained a 25-year-old man on the flight and subsequently arrested him on charges of making a threat or providing false information regarding an act of terrorism.
The flight, with 150 passengers aboard, returned to the airport less than an hour after departing, according to Flightradar24 data. United Airlines confirmed the plane returned safely to address a "potential security concern." The flight was delayed overnight and departed for Newark on Sunday morning.
Authorities did not immediately release further details regarding the specific actions or statements made by the passenger. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the flight crew had reported a "passenger disturbance." The FAA confirmed it will investigate the incident, noting that there have been over 1,400 unruly passenger incidents reported in 2026.
The suspect's initial court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday. An attorney listed for the man did not immediately respond to a request for comment.