A flight landed safely at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport late Monday night, but the relief was short-lived: a 34-year-old male passenger was hauled off in handcuffs, accused of telling the aircraft's crew that he had a bomb on board. Passengers were taken off the plane and walked to the terminal while deputies took the man into custody.
According to WWLTV, Jefferson Parish deputies arrested the man after he allegedly told aircraft crew members he had a bomb. The outlet reports the incident unfolded around 11:20 p.m. Monday, and that the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said no additional information was available for release at that time.
Sheriff Joseph Lopinto told the station that the man acted irrationally aboard the plane and said he had a bomb, according to the same report. The aircraft landed safely at the airport, and passengers deplaned and were transported to the terminal, the station notes. The man was then taken into custody and transported to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.
Charges and Flight Details
He was booked on charges of communicating false information of planned arson and terrorizing, per the station's report. Under Louisiana law, communicating false information of planned arson is codified as R.S. 14:54.1, according to the Louisiana State Legislature.
Separately, WDSU reports the flight was inbound from Newark and had 46 passengers and six crew members on board. The dossier's local reporting does not identify the airline or flight number, and it does not confirm whether an actual bomb or explosive device was ever found.
Unverified Details From Aviation Coverage
Separate aviation coverage from Simple Flying identifies the flight as United UA2174 and cites flight-tracking data showing it landed in New Orleans at 11:07 p.m. that night, a timestamp that does not match the roughly 11:20 p.m. figure WWLTV attributes to the incident itself. That same aviation report claims the pilots squawked transponder code 7500 to alert air traffic control to a threat, and that a male passenger tried to storm the cockpit — details not corroborated by the local reports reviewed for this story.
Past Incidents at MSY
This is not the first time Jefferson Parish deputies have responded to a disturbance involving a passenger at Louis Armstrong. In August 2023, deputies said a man threatened a flight attendant with a sharp object aboard an incoming Delta flight at MSY, according to WDSU. The flight attendant suffered superficial injuries in that incident, and the man involved was charged with aggravated battery, simple battery and disturbing the peace, the outlet reported.
In a separate case last November, Alexandria resident Corey Johnson was arrested at the airport after making bomb threats to airport operations stemming from a dispute over unpaid parking fees, according to FOX 8. Johnson was later indicted that same month, the station reported. These past cases provide context for how Jefferson Parish authorities have handled airport-related threats, though the evidence reviewed here does not establish any broader or increasing trend at MSY.
As of Monday night's arrest, the sheriff's office had not released further details, and the man's response to the allegations and any court outcome remain unknown.
