A United Airlines passenger who forced a Newark-bound flight to return to Las Vegas over his “hijacking threat” has blamed the incident on alcohol, telling authorities his remarks were drunken banter.
Dante Milne texted, “I’m gonna hijack this bitch and crash ur row only” to a friend while aboard a United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark over the weekend, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the New York Post.
A flight attendant told police that she saw a passenger receive a text with the words “I’m gonna hijack,” and later determined Milne was the sender after checking seating assignments, according to a report by News 3 LV, citing the arrest report.
“The message communicated a first-person declaration of intended violence involving hijacking the aircraft and crashing the recipient’s row,” the report stated. “Both individuals were passengers aboard the aircraft referenced in the communication.”
After that, the flight attendant alerted the captain, causing a lockdown and the plane to return to the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas due to a “security concern,” Fox 5 Vegas reported.
Milne, who was arrested on the tarmac on Saturday, later told authorities he was drunk and joking around with a friend in another seat. He said he had downed a beer and some shots at the airport bar before boarding, as he had planned to sleep during the flight.
After dozing off, the 25-year-old was reportedly awakened and informed that the flight — a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members — was returning to Las Vegas just 15 minutes after takeoff.
Milne — who was on his way home after a three-day Las Vegas trip for a work apprenticeship training program for underwater welding — told detectives his hijack text was simply badly worded “banter between coworkers,” according to the arrest report.
The New Jersey native insisted that he never intended to hijack the aircraft, crash it, or harm anyone, and apologized for how the situation unfolded.
No one reportedly confronted Milne during the flight. Instead, the welding apprentice was arrested by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police after he deplaned onto the tarmac.
Milne was charged with one count of making threats or conveying false information concerning an act of terrorism. He has since been released from the Clark County Detention Center on either $10,000 or $20,000 bail, according to conflicting news reports.
On Tuesday, Milne’s lawyer, James Gallo, told a judge that his client planned to plead not guilty. His next court appearance is scheduled for January 5.
Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.