‘I have a bomb’: Pennsylvania high schooler who sent bomb threat to fellow passengers on American Airlines flight arrested
EL PASO, TEXAS: A high school student from Pennsylvania is in custody in El Paso, Texas, for airdropping a false bomb threat to fellow passengers in an airplane. The incident occurred when a group of students and chaperones from a Pittsburgh catholic high school were heading home from a humanitarian trip to the border to learn about the immigration crisis.
The American Airlines Flight 2051 to Chicago was taxiing at El Paso International Airport on Friday, February 17. It is when passengers received an AirDrop request from a sender named “I have a bomb. Would like to share a photo," the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
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The plane returned to the gate after hoax bomb threat
Soon after the bomb threat, the plane returned to the gate where a bomb squad investigation identified the unnamed teen as the sender of the “non-credible” threat. Reportedly, the Texas Department of Public Safety said that the juvenile had allegedly admitted to sending the message. When officials searched the teen’s phone, they said they found evidence confirming that he was responsible.
NEW: Juvenile detained in El PasoTX will be prosecuted. Pittsburgh Central Catholic confirmed students were on board this flight & detained. Sources tell me the student who airdropped this message was a Central Catholic student. Awaiting more info from the Diocese of Pgh #WTAE pic.twitter.com/06DO836YtU
— Marcie Cipriani (@MCipriani_WTAE) February 20, 2023
The student faces one count of creating a false report or alarm
The El Paso County Attorney's Office, which handles the prosecution of juvenile crime, agreed to prosecute the case. The name, age, and gender of the juvenile were not disclosed. It is said that the student is in custody at El Paso Juvenile Probation Department. The student faces one count of creating a false report or alarm which is a felony under the Texas Penal Code. The rest of the group returned home on Monday.
Although it is unclear how many passengers received the hoax threat, the plane carried 125 passengers. Central Catholic’s statement maintained that the student sent the imprudent threat “in jest.”
The flight was delayed by 5 hours
The American Airlines flight was severely delayed due to a bogus bomb, New York Post reported. After the bomb squad cleared the aircraft, FlightAware records coted by the post-show the plane landed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport just before 9 pm — over five hours later than expected.
"As a reminder to the public, please be aware of the local, state, and federal laws when traveling. The laws are in place for the safety of our communities and the public. Despite your age, position, or circumstance, all agencies will enforce the law," The Texas Department of Public Safety said.
