A Rhode Island man has been handed a two-year sentence for causing a false bomb scare on a Breeze Airways flight. Evan Sims, 41, will also undergo three years of supervised release after his time behind bars for his disruptive actions aboard a plane from Orlando, Florida, to Providence, Rhode Island, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Sims, who has been in custody since his arrest on December 6, 2023, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of false information and threats concerning explosives. In addition to imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger ordered Sims, to pay $25,478 in restitution to cover the losses Breeze Airways incurred due to the bomb threat hoax, as documented by court reports.
The unsettling incident unfolded on December 5, 2023. Before the flight could take off, Sims was overheard making unsettling remarks to his travel companion, suggesting he had misgivings about the airline's credibility and safety. His comments escalated as the aircraft took to the skies, culminating in him claiming that his companion had a bomb. The pilot diverted the flight to Jacksonville International Airport, where a thorough bomb squad search confirmed the threat was nothing but a hoax.
This case, which was jointly investigated by several agencies including the Transportation Security Administration and the FBI, goes beyond a simple disruption. It showcases how one individual's reckless statements can have wide-reaching effects, not just on an airline's operations but on the psychology of fellow travelers, exposed to what they perceived might be their final moments in the air. As a result of Sims’s behavior, the entire flight was inconvenienced as the plane made an unscheduled stop and passengers endured the stress of a potential threat.
