A United Airlines flight carrying 156 people was forced back to Las Vegas after a passenger allegedly texted that he would hijack the plane and crash into a particular row, a threat he later characterized as poorly worded banter with a coworker.
Dante Milne, 25, of New Jersey, is accused of sending the message Saturday as Flight 1681, a Boeing 737, headed toward Newark.
“I’m gonna hijack this b—- and crash ur row only,” the text allegedly read, according to an arrest report cited by FOX5 Vegas.
The aircraft returned to Harry Reid International Airport after a flight attendant noticed the message shortly after departure, prompting the crew to initiate security precautions for the 150 passengers and six crew members aboard.
🎓Help millions think clearly and communicate with power through Hillsdale College’s free “Classical Logic and Rhetoric course! 🎓 Expand education for liberty and equip the next generation ➡️➡️➡️ TAKE THE FREE COURSE NOW!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
By approximately 11:05 p.m., the plane was back on the ground in Las Vegas.
Milne later maintained that he had been asleep and only learned the aircraft was returning to its departure airport after waking.
He also told investigators that he had consumed a beer and several shots at an airport bar before boarding, according to the arrest report.
A recording obtained by Air Traffic Control captured what the pilots told controllers about the passenger whose message had triggered the diversion.
“The passenger does not know anything is going on,” one pilot explained.
The crew had secured the cockpit after receiving the flight attendant’s warning, but the pilot indicated that Milne had not been restrained because he remained cooperative and apparently unaware of the situation.
The unexpected return also meant the flight could not resume its journey that night.
United Airlines explained that its crew had reached the maximum permitted working hours, forcing passengers to remain in Las Vegas until the next morning.
The airline described the diversion as a precaution taken over a “potential security concern.”
Milne was subsequently charged with making threats or conveying false information concerning an act of terrorism.
He denied having any intention of taking control of the aircraft and characterized the text as “banter between coworkers.”
Investigators initially received little information about the message itself. Milne reportedly acknowledged exchanging texts aboard the plane but maintained that he could not recall their contents until detectives questioned him about the alleged hijacking threat.
The suspect apologized for the incident and explained that he had been returning home from a three-day apprenticeship training program in underwater welding.
Milne was later released after posting $10,000 bail.
During a Tuesday court appearance, his attorney informed the judge that Milne intended to plead not guilty, according to KLAS-TV.
His next scheduled appearance is January 5.
A separate federal aviation prosecution resulted in the conviction of a Massachusetts father accused of repeatedly touching a teenage passenger during a JetBlue flight.
Jonathan Alan Lefman, 48, had been flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Boston on August 30, 2024, accompanied by his wife and four children.
The alleged victim, a 17-year-old girl, was seated directly ahead of Lefman, who was sitting beside his 16-year-old son.
Federal prosecutors accused him of reaching through the space between the sections of the seat in front of him and touching the teenager’s buttocks without her permission.
The conduct occurred repeatedly during the flight and while passengers were awaiting permission to exit the plane in Boston, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
The teenager eventually managed to record evidence of the unwanted contact using her cellphone.
Her video captured Lefman’s fingers extending into the space around her seat, authorities reported.
The girl had also noticed his reflection in the seatback monitor, which helped her identify the movements occurring behind her.
She attempted to shift her position repeatedly to avoid further contact.
The arrest affidavit described another form of unwanted touching involving Lefman’s feet beneath the seat.
“At first I thought he was stretching because we all get tired,” the teenager recalled.
She later realized the contact was continuing and tried moving farther away from him.
After the flight reached Boston, the victim recorded Lefman leaving the aircraft.
An adult female relative who had been sitting elsewhere on the plane confronted him and subsequently informed a JetBlue supervisor of the allegations.
The federal case culminated in an October 16 jury verdict finding Lefman guilty of abusive sexual contact within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.
The conviction followed a three-day trial, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts confirming the outcome.
Lefman had initially been arrested and charged in February 2025, before a federal grand jury returned an indictment the following March.
He now faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release lasting anywhere from five years to life.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2027.
