Passenger texting about hijacking forces United flight back to Las Vegas

A text about hijacking

United Airlines Flight 1681 took off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Saturday, 24 October, bound for Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Flightradar24 data cited by RMF24 shows the aircraft turned back about 10 minutes after departure while flying over Arizona. A flight attendant noticed that a passenger was typing on his phone that he was going to hijack the plane and alerted the crew. Audio of the pilot's call with air traffic control, obtained by CBS News, has the pilot saying the crew went into lockdown and returned to Las Vegas. United gave the number of passengers as 150, though another report put it at 157.

The landing and the FAA statement

The pilot told the controller that the crew could not land straight away because the aircraft was too heavy, so it first had to burn off fuel. The pilot said the passenger was cooperating because he did not seem to understand what was happening, and that no force had been needed. Police officers were waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement on the return.

“United Airlines Flight 1681 returned safely to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas around 11:05 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 24, after the crew reported a passenger disturbance.”

Charges and a court date on Tuesday

Las Vegas police detained the 25-year-old at Harry Reid airport and on Monday, 26 October, announced that he had been charged with making a threat or providing false information regarding an act of terrorism. Police had not given details of what he is accused of saying or doing. According to a copy of the criminal complaint cited by the Associated Press, the man wrote that he would hijack the aircraft, but the document does not say who the message was meant for. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, 27 October.

Aftermath and wider context

After the aircraft returned, all passengers were taken off and inspected, and they were put on another flight that left Las Vegas on Sunday morning, 25 October. United said the plane returned safely to address a potential security concern. The FAA confirmed it will investigate the incident and told the Associated Press there have been over 1,400 unruly passenger incidents so far in 2026. The main steps of the incident are set out below.