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Las Vegas, Nevada: United Flight to Newark Returns After a Passenger's Hijack Threat Text, and a Man Is Charged

A flight attendant saw a passenger typing a threat to hijack United Flight 1681 minutes after takeoff from Las Vegas on Saturday night. The crew locked the cockpit, turned the jet back, and police arrested a 25 year old New Jersey man who told investigators the message was a drunken joke.

By Orbit Post3 min read
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Las Vegas, Nevada: United Flight to Newark Returns After a Passenger's Hijack Threat Text, and a Man Is Charged

Key points

  • A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark turned back minutes after takeoff on Saturday night, October 24, 2026, after a flight attendant saw a passenger typing a message that threatened…
  • According to the complaint, reported by the Associated Press, the passenger, Dante Milne, 25, of New Jersey, wrote on his phone that he was "gonna hijack this" plane, using an expletive, and that…
  • The pilots locked down the flight deck and turned the jet around without telling the passenger, air traffic control recordings show.

A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark turned back minutes after takeoff on Saturday night, October 24, 2026, after a flight attendant saw a passenger typing a message that threatened to hijack the aircraft, according to a criminal complaint in the case. United Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, had just left Harry Reid International Airport when the crew member spotted the message and alerted the cockpit.

According to the complaint, reported by the Associated Press, the passenger, Dante Milne, 25, of New Jersey, wrote on his phone that he was "gonna hijack this" plane, using an expletive, and that he would "crash ur row only." The complaint does not say how the message was sent or who it was meant for, and it does not accuse Milne of any physical move toward the cockpit.

A quiet turnaround

The pilots locked down the flight deck and turned the jet around without telling the passenger, air traffic control recordings show. "The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft and called me and we went lockdown," the captain told controllers. Asked whether the man had been restrained, the pilot said: "No restraint, passenger is compliant because he's unaware."

The crew declared a general emergency, and the jet, still heavy with about 24,800 pounds of fuel for the cross country flight, circled to burn fuel before landing safely in Las Vegas late Saturday night. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers met the aircraft and arrested Milne without incident. Passengers were taken off for an inspection, and no one was injured.

The charge and the court date

Milne was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of making threats or conveying false information concerning an act of terrorism, a felony that carries one to 20 years in prison under Nevada law. He was released on 10,000 dollars bail. In court on Tuesday, October 27, his lawyer, James Gallo, told a judge that Milne planned to plead not guilty, according to News 3 Las Vegas. His next court date is January 5, 2027. He has not been convicted of anything, and the allegations remain unproven.

According to an arrest report cited by Fox News, Milne told investigators that he had a beer and several shots at an airport bar before boarding, fell asleep on the plane, and woke up as the jet was returning to Las Vegas. He first said he could not remember the messages, then called the threat poorly worded banter between coworkers. He said he never intended to take control of the aircraft and apologized. He was flying home after three days in Las Vegas for an underwater welding apprenticeship program.

What the airline and the FAA say

United said Flight 1681 "safely returned to Las Vegas to address a potential security concern." The flight could not continue that night because the crew had reached its permitted working hours, so it left for Newark on Sunday morning, October 25, and arrived that afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew reported a passenger disturbance and the incident is under investigation.

Timeline

  1. Oct 24, 2026United Flight 1681 leaves Las Vegas for Newark with 150 passengers and six crew members. Minutes after takeoff, a flight attendant sees a passenger typing a hijack threat, the crew locks down the cockpit, and the jet returns to Las Vegas late that night. Police arrest Dante Milne, 25, on the tarmac.
  2. Oct 25, 2026After an overnight delay caused by crew duty limits, the flight leaves Las Vegas in the morning and arrives in Newark in the afternoon.
  3. Oct 26, 2026Las Vegas Metropolitan Police confirm the arrest in a statement, and the criminal complaint quoting the threat message becomes public.
  4. Oct 27, 2026Milne appears in court in Las Vegas. His lawyer says he plans to plead not guilty, and an arrest report shows he told investigators the message was poorly worded banter after drinking at an airport bar.

Sources