A 25-year-old man who allegedly sent a threatening text about hijacking a passenger plane heading to New Jersey was taken into custody Saturday evening at Harry Reid International Airport once the flight made it back safely to Las Vegas .
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed its commitment to investigating the incident. During air traffic control communications, a pilot responded, “The flight attendant saw a text. We are quite overweight.
The man faces charges related to making a threat or communicating false information concerning a terrorist act, an offense that carries a potential prison sentence ranging from 1 to 20 years. Federal officials said that Dante Milne was arrested after United Flight 1681 returned to Las Vegas and landed without any problems. The emergency situation commenced nearly 13 minutes following the aircraft’s departure from Las Vegas, at which point the pilots engaged an alternative transponder to communicate an in-flight emergency status, according to an air traffic control audio and flight tracking data. Approximately 30 minutes following the commencement of the emergency situation, the Boeing 737 successfully returned to Las Vegas. It also told AP via email that more than 1,400 cases of disruptive passenger behavior have been documented in 2026.
Las Vegas law enforcement officials said that they took the man into custody following allegations that he had made “terroristic threats” aboard a Saturday evening flight destined for Newark, New Jersey, AP reported. The pilot then communicated to air traffic controllers that they are significantly “overweight,” issuing a warning: “We might need the entire runway. His preliminary court hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
