The latest: Midair hijacking alert and cockpit breach attempt
Pilots aboard a United Airlines flight carrying 52 people from New Jersey to Louisiana declared an urgent midair security emergency Monday night, squawking an international hijacking code and triggering the airline industry’s highest threat warning after a passenger claimed to have a bomb and tried to storm the cockpit.
The incident erupted aboard United Flight 2174, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 cruising from Newark Liberty International Airport toward Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. As the jet began its descent toward New Orleans, a 34-year-old male passenger began behaving erratically, changed into all-black clothing, and warned those around him that he was carrying an explosive device inside his backpack.
According to flight attendants and law enforcement reports, the man then bolted down the aisle and attempted to force his way through the reinforced cockpit door into the flight deck. Cabin crew members and quick-thinking passengers intercepted the suspect, physically subduing him and de-escalating the standoff before isolating him in the rear galley for the remainder of the flight.
Level 4 threat declaration and Squawk 7500 transponder alert
Faced with an active attempt to enter the cockpit, the flight crew immediately executed standard post-9/11 counter-hijacking protocols. While passing through 20,000 feet, the pilots changed the aircraft’s secondary surveillance transponder to code 7500—the universal aviation distress signal signifying unlawful interference or an in-flight hijacking.
The crew also transmitted a "Level 4" threat notification across the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). Under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines and airline security procedures, a Level 4 alert represents the most severe classification possible, defined specifically as an actual or attempted breach of the flight deck.
Inside the cabin, the crew maintained continuous physical control over the passenger while the pilots expedited an immediate approach into New Orleans. Onboard were 46 passengers and a crew of six, none of whom suffered physical injuries during the confrontation.
Emergency landing at New Orleans and multi-agency response
Flight 2174 touched down safely at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport at 11:07 p.m. Central Time on Monday. The aircraft was guided to a secure area where heavily armed deputies from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO), agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Transportation Security Administration inspectors were waiting on the tarmac.
Deputies immediately boarded the Boeing 737 and took the suspect into custody without further incident. Explosive detection K-9 teams and bomb technicians conducted a thorough sweep of the suspect's backpack, the cabin seating area, and the cargo hold. Law enforcement confirmed that no explosives, blasting caps, or hazardous incendiary components were found.
“The flight landed safely following a disruptive incident involving a passenger onboard, and law enforcement met the aircraft upon arrival,” a United Airlines spokesperson said in an official statement following the landing.
Criminal charges, detention, and immigration detainer
Authorities identified the suspect as 34-year-old Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto of New York. He was transported to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, Louisiana, where he was booked into custody without bail.
State prosecutors charged Gomez-Alberto with two serious Louisiana felonies:
- Communicating false information of planned arson (Louisiana Revised Statutes § 14:54.1), which penalizes making false bomb threats or false warnings of catastrophic violence.
- Terrorizing (Louisiana Revised Statutes § 14:40.1), which penalizes intentional communication of crimes of violence intended to cause sustained public fear or evacuation.
Following his arrest, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Gomez-Alberto is a citizen of Honduras who had been previously removed from the United States in 2011 and again in 2014. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a federal detainer request with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to prevent his release if state bail is ever considered.
Federal authorities, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the FBI, are continuing to review the incident. Under federal aviation statutes (49 U.S.C. § 46504), interference with flight crew members or flight attendants by assault or intimidation carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. Gomez-Alberto is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
