A United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to New Orleans, Louisiana, was forced to issue a hijacking alert after a passenger allegedly claimed to have a bomb and attempted to storm the cockpit. The passenger, identified as 34-year-old Rony Gomez Alberto, was arrested after the aircraft landed safely at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Monday night. The flight, United Airlines Flight 2174, departed Newark International Airport at about 9:30 pm with 46 passengers and six crew members on board.

According to reports, the pilots alerted air traffic control about an attempted breach of the cockpit after Alberto behaved irrationally and falsely claimed to have a bomb. Air traffic control audio revealed that the passenger, who spoke very little English, was restrained at the back of the aircraft during the incident. The flight landed safely in New Orleans around 11:15 pm, where officers from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office were waiting to receive it and take the suspect into custody.S1S2

United Airlines confirmed the incident, stating that the sheriff’s office met the aircraft upon arrival. Rony Gomez Alberto was charged with communicating false information about planned arson and terrorising and is being held without bail at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Centre. This incident follows another recent case involving a United Airlines flight, where 25-year-old Dante Milne was arrested for allegedly threatening to hijack and crash a flight traveling to New Jersey.S1