Man accused of threatening to hijack United flight says it was a drunken joke
A New Jersey man accused of sending a text threatening to hijack a United Airlines flight over the weekend told investigators he had been drinking and described the message as poorly worded banter with a coworker, according to an arrest report.Dante Milne, 25, allegedly sent the threatening message Saturday while aboard United Airlines Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members from Las Vegas to Newark, New Jersey."I’m gonna hijack this b---- and crash ur row only," Milne allegedly wrote, according to an arrest report cited by FOX5 Vegas.AIRPORT SUSPECT PACKED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE FOR FLIGHT, CAUGHT WITH CRYPTIC MESSAGE ON PHONE: FEDSUnited Airlines planes at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J, Nov.3, 2025.
(Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)The message was allegedly spotted by a flight attendant shortly after departure, and the crew alerted the captain, who secured the cockpit and diverted the aircraft back to Harry Reid International Airport, where it landed at approximately 11:05 p.m. The flight was delayed overnight after the crew reached its permitted working hours and departed for Newark the following morning, United Airlines previously told Fox News Digital.Authorities later charged Milne with one count of making threats or conveying false information concerning an act of terrorism.According to an arrest report, Milne told investigators he had consumed a beer and several shots at an airport bar before boarding.FAA EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH ALLEGEDLY THREATENING TO KILL PRESIDENT TRUMP IN EMAIL TO WHITE HOUSEHe said he then fell asleep aboard the plane and woke up to discover the aircraft was returning to Las Vegas.Milne initially acknowledged texting someone aboard the flight but said he could not remember the messages.When investigators specifically asked about the alleged hijacking threat, he described it as poorly worded "banter between coworkers," according to the arrest report.Milne reportedly said he neve...