Dante Milne

Introduction

Dante Milne, a 25-year-old airline passenger, was arrested on Saturday night, October 24, 2026, after his texts about hijacking his own flight forced a United Airlines jet to turn around midair and return to Las Vegas. According to a criminal complaint, Milne wrote that he was “gonna hijack this” plane and would “crash ur row only” while aboard United Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew from Harry Reid International Airport to Newark. A flight attendant spotted the messages, the cockpit locked down, and police were waiting when the plane landed. Milne was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a felony terrorism-related charge and later released on bond.

Background Information

Milne has no public profile in the coverage — no occupation, hometown or social-media presence was identified in any report, and no statement from him or an attorney on his behalf has appeared. He was one of 150 passengers aboard United Flight 1681, which pushed back from the gate at Harry Reid International Airport at 10:37 p.m. and took off shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday, October 24, bound for Newark Liberty International Airport. Las Vegas police identified him as the arrested passenger two days later, on Monday, October 26.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Milne faces a felony count of making threats or conveying false information of terrorism; the charge is an accusation, he has not been tried, and he is presumed innocent.

Shortly after takeoff, a flight attendant observed Milne typing references to seizing control of the aircraft. Per the criminal complaint, he communicated via his mobile device that he was “gonna hijack this” plane — using an expletive in the message — and wrote that he would “crash ur row only.” The complaint does not specify how the messages were transmitted or who was meant to receive them. Rather than approach the passenger, the crew member followed security protocol and quietly alerted the cockpit, which initiated lockdown procedures and restricted access to the flight deck. “The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft,” the captain told air traffic controllers. “They called me. We went into lockdown, and we returned to Vegas.” The crew declared an emergency, squawking the 7700 code, and the 737 reversed course over northwestern Arizona and landed safely back at Harry Reid. Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department met the aircraft and detained Milne without incident; no one was injured, and a full security inspection of the plane followed.

The fallout extended well past one passenger. Because the diversion pushed the flight crew past federally mandated operating hours, the remaining 149 travelers were stranded in Las Vegas overnight and did not reach Newark until a rescheduled departure the next morning. Under Nevada law, the felony count of conveying false information or making threats concerning an act of terrorism carries a potential prison term of one to 20 years. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed an investigation into the incident remains underway, and the agency reported it has tracked more than 1,400 unruly-passenger incidents across commercial flights in 2026.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The incident became a national story as air traffic control audio and police reports circulated, with outlets replaying the captain’s calm description of the lockdown and return. Local Las Vegas coverage led with police describing “terroristic threats” made aboard the flight, and the revelation two days later that the suspect’s own texts — including the line about crashing a specific row — were now in a criminal complaint drew wide attention. United Airlines confirmed the flight “safely returned to Las Vegas to address a potential security concern,” citing crew timeout for the overnight delay. Passengers described the unexpected overnight stay, and the airport spokesman declined further comment beyond confirming no injuries.

Current Status

Milne was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of making a threat or conveying false information of terrorism, then posted a $10,000 surety bond and was released pending a scheduled court appearance on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Court records noted his bail condition required him to stay out of trouble. The charge remains an unadjudicated felony accusation: he has not entered a plea publicly, no trial date is known, and he has made no public statement. The FAA’s investigation of the incident is ongoing.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Milne faces up to 20 years in prison on a single felony count, and his name is now attached to one of the year’s most widely covered aviation-security scares — a midair turnaround that disrupted 150 people and drew federal scrutiny. Whatever the court process yields, the texting-about-hijacking facts are in a sworn criminal complaint and have been quoted in national coverage since the night of the diversion. Until his October 27 court appearance and any proceedings beyond it, the charge is an accusation he is presumed innocent of.

Sources

• New York Post, “Chilling messages revealed in United flight hijack threat,” October 26, 2026 — source
• Casino.org, “Police Identity Passenger Arrested for Threatening to Hijack United Flight from Vegas,” October 26, 2026 — source
• KTNV (Channel 13 Las Vegas), “Police: Plane from Las Vegas turns around after passenger made ’terroristic threats’,” October 2026 — source
• KLAS 8 News Now via Yahoo News, “25-year-old man arrested for making ’terroristic threats’ on flight leaving Las Vegas airport,” October 26, 2026 — source