New Orleans, Louisiana: Passenger Accused of Bomb Claim and Cockpit Rush on United Flight 2174 Is Identified, ICE Lodges Detainer

The passenger accused of claiming he had a bomb and trying to reach the cockpit on a United Airlines flight from Newark to New Orleans on Monday night has been identified as Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, 34, a Honduran national, the Department of Homeland Security said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer for him on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in Louisiana, the department said.

What happened on the flight

United Flight 2174, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 carrying 46 passengers and six crew members, left Newark Liberty International Airport at 9:26 p.m. local time on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, bound for New Orleans, according to flight tracking data reported by Simple Flying. During the flight, a male passenger tried to reach the cockpit and said a backpack he carried contained a bomb, Simple Flying reported. The pilots set transponder code 7500, the signal for unlawful interference, as the plane descended through 20,000 feet, and reported an attempted Level 4 threat, the most severe cabin threat level, Simple Flying reported.

Crew members persuaded the man to move to the back of the aircraft, where he stayed with cabin crew for the rest of the flight, the New York Post reported, citing air traffic control audio. The flight landed safely in New Orleans at about 11:07 p.m., Simple Flying and the Post reported. United said law enforcement met the aircraft on arrival, according to statements reported by Fox News and other outlets.

Arrest and charges

Jefferson Parish deputies were called at 11:20 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, after airport officials said a 34-year-old man had been acting irrationally and told crew he had a bomb on board, WGNO reported. Deputies arrested the man after the plane landed. He was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on charges of communicating false information of planned arson and terrorizing, according to WGNO and court records cited by the New York Post. He is held without bail, the Post and the Washington Examiner reported. The charges are allegations, and he has not been convicted in this case.

Immigration history released by DHS

A DHS spokesperson told the New York Post that Border Patrol agents arrested Gomez-Alberto three times for illegally entering the United States. He was arrested in September 2011 near El Indio, Texas, and deported, and again in October 2014 near Columbus, New Mexico, and deported a second time, the department said. He was arrested a third time in 2019 near San Ysidro, California, and was freed from ICE custody in January 2020 after a judge ordered his release pending removal proceedings, according to DHS. His criminal history includes a felony bomb threat, terroristic threat offenses and disorderly conduct, the department said. He had been living in the Bronx, the sheriff's office told NOLA.com, according to the Post.

"Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens who try to HIJACK AIRPLANES are NOT welcome in the United States," the Department of Homeland Security posted on X, according to the Washington Examiner.

What has not been announced

No federal charges had been announced as of Tuesday night, and officials had not said whether any bomb or weapon was found on the aircraft. Authorities have not described a motive. Federal prosecutors will decide whether to bring federal charges, according to reporting on the case.

This is a developing story. Orbit Post will update this article in place if officials announce federal charges or release new findings from the investigation.