On May 20th, a plane scheduled to take off from San Diego International Airport in California was grounded for nearly five hours due to an unconfirmed bomb threat. The false alarm was made by a Navy sailor who was subsequently arrested.
San Diego Harbor Police Department reported that around 8:30 a.m., a passenger on Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15 bound for Honolulu, Hawaii from San Diego Airport, later identified as 35-year-old Navy sailor John Stea, informed a flight attendant that the passenger next to him was carrying a bomb.
According to City News Society (CNS), Marissa Villegas, a spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines, mentioned that at the time, the Airbus A330 was taxiing away from the gate.
She said, “As a precaution, the captain immediately taxied the aircraft to a secure location within the airport, local and federal law enforcement agencies arrived promptly, and passengers were safely deplaned.”
The airline stated that a total of 293 people, including 10 crew members, were evacuated. The passengers were then shuttled by buses to a secure area to wait for further arrangements.
Videos shared by media and social media showed the plane parked alongside the runway, with law enforcement officers and K-9 units inspecting luggage apparently unloaded from the aircraft.
City News Society reported that Brianne Mundy Page, a spokesperson for San Diego Harbor Police Department, mentioned that the San Diego Harbor Police Special Ops Team, FBI, Joint Terrorism Task Force, and San Diego Fire Department conducted a search and inspection at the scene.
Page stated that no suspicious items were found on the aircraft by the officials.
Stea was detained on charges of making a false bomb threat and issuing a false security threat report.
Nicole Hall, a spokesperson for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, remarked that this incident did not cause any additional flight delays.
The flight eventually took off around 2:15 p.m. and safely landed in Honolulu.
As per a report by San Diego CBS8 television station, the U.S. Navy confirmed that Stea was on official duty to receive training in Hawaii. He held the rank of Second Class Electronics Technician with 15 years of military service. Professionals informed CBS8 that besides potential criminal charges, Stea may face disciplinary actions in a military court.