Authorities identified the suspect as Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, who was deported in 2011 and 2014 and released by an immigration judge in 2020. He was arrested after the plane landed and faces charges of terrorizing and false arson. ICE has placed a detainer as federal investigators consider additional charges.
A twice-deported illegal alien allegedly claimed he had a bomb and tried to storm the cockpit of a United Airlines flight from Newark to New Orleans, prompting an in-flight hijacking alert. Authorities identified the suspect as Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, who was deported in 2011 and 2014 and released by an immigration judge in 2020. He was arrested after the plane landed and faces charges of terrorizing and false arson. ICE has placed a detainer as federal investigators consider additional charges.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911)November 11, 2026