Man accused of threatening to hijack United flight says it was a drunken joke

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Cite

Sinkewicz, M. (2026, October 28). Man accused of threatening to hijack United flight says it was a drunken joke. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/man-accused-threatening-hijack-united-flight-says-drunken-joke

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-10-28 · by Michael Sinkewicz

Quick Summary

Dante Milne, a 25-year-old man from New Jersey, was arrested after allegedly sending a threatening text message aboard United Airlines Flight 1681 from Las Vegas to Newark, which prompted the plane's return to Las Vegas and a delay overnight. Milne claimed he had been drinking before boarding and that the message was meant as a joke between coworkers but was poorly worded. The flight, carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, diverted back to Harry Reid International Airport where it landed at approximately 11:05 p.m., with authorities charging Milne with one count of making threats or conveying false information concerning an act of terrorism.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-28, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

United Flight 1681, carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, returned to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on October 24 after a flight attendant noticed a passenger texting about hijacking the plane. The Boeing 737, bound for Newark Liberty International Airport, landed safely at 11:05 p.m. local time following the security concern. Law enforcement met the aircraft upon landing and identified the suspect as Dante Milne, 25. According to a criminal complaint, Milne sent messages threatening to hijack the plane but later claimed it was a drunken joke when questioned by investigators. The FAA is investigating the incident.

Written for “United Airlines Hijacking Threat Investigation” on 2026-10-28, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 United Airlines Hijacking Threat Investigation
Crime & Law · 5 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 50% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 1 of 21 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe Dante Milne's threatening messages sent during a United Airlines flight, leading to his arrest on felony charges.”
Daily Mail
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 22% hedged 4 of 18 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe the same incident involving a United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark, where a passenger's alleged hijacking threat caused the plane to return to Las Vegas.”
Times of India
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 40% hedged 6 of 15 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe a single incident involving United Airlines Flight 1681, which returned to Las Vegas due to a reported threat of hijacking, and later reports about the accused individual's arrest.”
The Independent
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 27% hedged 4 of 15 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the same United Airlines Flight 1681 incident where a passenger sent a text threatening to hijack the plane.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
50%
10 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
70/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-28 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 5666 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Michael Sinkewicz
44 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Milne initially acknowledged texting someone aboard the flight but said he could not remember the messages.
🔮 Rapper Nicki Minaj doubled down on her support for President Donald Trump during a Republican campaign rally in Michigan on Sunday, telling the president she would back him again if he ever sought another term.
🔮 A fight over cuts to autism therapy for Georgia foster children is escalating at the state Capitol, with a Republican lawmaker and families now calling for the 30% reimbursement reduction to be reversed as advocates warn children could lose hard-earned progress.
🔮 Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey expressed condolences following the shooting.
🔮 The memo also states that intelligence officials will work to downgrade the classification of certain intelligence so it can be disseminated and shared with State Department personnel.
🔮 A New Jersey Republican mayor charged toward a resident during a chaotic township council meeting this week and had to be physically restrained as he shouted threats at the man, dramatic video shows.
🔮 I will not back down."
🔮 Mullin said those already apprehended and deported by federal authorities represented "just a drop in the bucket," adding that the Trump administration would continue pursuing individuals accused of fraud.
🔮 "We will not allow violent attacks on federal officers to go unanswered and will hold those responsible accountable under the law." Federal prosecutors said the incident began during a targeted ICE operation in Gibbsboro, when officers ran a license plate check on a truck traveling through the area.
🔮 "You were so drunk and you wouldn’t admit it.
Also by Michael Sinkewicz
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 44 articles by Michael Sinkewicz →

Topics

Fox News Digital Las Vegas New Jersey Newark United Airlines

Subjects

Las Vegas GPE · 7× Milne PERSON · 7× United Airlines ORG · 5× Newark GPE · 4× Fox News Digital ORG · 2× New Jersey GPE · 2× ATC.com ORG · 1× Boeing ORG · 1× Dante Milne PERSON · 1× FOX5 Vegas ORG · 1×

Narrative

Air traffic control audio previously obtained by ATC.com and reported by Fox News captured the pilot explaining the situation as the flight returned to Las Vegas, including that the passenger suspected of making the threat apparently did not realize the aircraft had turned around because of him.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-28
🔮 Milne initially acknowledged texting someone aboard the flight but said he could not remember the messages.

Claims (20 extracted, 10 hedged)

A New Jersey man accused of sending a text threatening to hijack a United Airlines flight over the weekend told investigators he had been drinking and described the message as poorly worded banter with a coworker, according to an arrest report. uncertain
he → accuse → report
Dante Milne, 25, allegedly sent the threatening message Saturday while aboard United Airlines Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members from Las Vegas to Newark, New Jersey. uncertain
Milne → send → Newark
"I’m gonna hijack this b---- and crash ur row only," Milne allegedly wrote, according to an arrest report cited by FOX5 Vegas. uncertain
Milne → go → Vegas
The message was allegedly spotted by a flight attendant shortly after departure, and the crew alerted the captain, who secured the cockpit and diverted the aircraft back to Harry Reid International Airport, where it landed at approximately 11:05 p.m. The flight was delayed overnight after the crew reached its permitted working hours and departed for Newark the following morning, United Airlines previously told Fox News Digital. uncertain
Airlines → spot → Digital
Authorities later charged Milne with one count of making threats or conveying false information concerning an act of terrorism. asserted
Authorities → charge → terrorism
According to an arrest report, Milne told investigators he had consumed a beer and several shots at an airport bar before boarding. uncertain
he → accord → boarding
He said he then fell asleep aboard the plane and woke up to discover the aircraft was returning to Las Vegas. asserted
aircraft → say → Vegas
Milne initially acknowledged texting someone aboard the flight but said he could not remember the messages. uncertain
he → acknowledge → messages
When investigators specifically asked about the alleged hijacking threat, he described it as poorly worded "banter between coworkers," according to the arrest report. uncertain
he → ask → report
Milne reportedly said he never intended to take control of the aircraft and apologized for what happened. uncertain
what → say → aircraft
He told detectives he was returning home after spending three days in Las Vegas for an apprenticeship training program involving underwater welding, according to the report. uncertain
he → tell → report
Air traffic control audio previously obtained by ATC.com and reported by Fox News captured the pilot explaining the situation as the flight returned to Las Vegas, including that the passenger suspected of making the threat apparently did not realize the aircraft had turned around because of him. asserted
aircraft → obtain → him
"The passenger does not know anything is going on," the pilot told air traffic controllers. asserted
pilot → know → controllers
"The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft and called me and we went lockdown. asserted
we → see → lockdown
No restraint, passenger is compliant because he’s unaware." Milne was later released on $10,000 bail, and his attorney told a judge Tuesday that he intended to plead not guilty, according to KLAS-TV. Milne is due back in court on Jan. 5. uncertain
Milne → ’ → Jan.
After the incident, United Airlines said the flight had returned to Las Vegas to address a "potential security concern." asserted
flight → say → concern
"United Flight 1681 from Las Vegas to Newark on Saturday, Oct. 24, safely returned to Las Vegas to address a potential security concern," United Airlines previously told Fox News Digital. asserted
Airlines → return → Digital
"The flight was delayed overnight due to crew timeout, and departed for Newark this morning." asserted
flight → delay → Newark
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also confirmed that the flight's crew reported a "passenger disturbance" and that the incident remained under investigation. asserted
incident → confirm → investigation
Fox News Digital's Jessica Mekles and Sophia Compton contributed to this report. asserted
Mekles → contribute → report
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