United Airlines Flight En Route to Newark Makes U-Turn Back to Vegas After Passenger Caught Texting About Hijacking Plane

A United Airlines flight en route to Newark, New Jersey, was forced to make an abrupt u-turn back to Las Vegas on Saturday night after flight crew caught a passenger texting about hijacking the plane.

A 25-year-old unidentified male was arrested at Harry Reid International Airport in Vegas and booked at the Clark County Detention Center.

Air Traffic Control audio revealed the moment the pilots became aware of the potential threat.

“The passenger does not know anything is going on,” a pilot said, Fox News reported.

“The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft and called me and we went lockdown. … No restraint, passenger is compliant because he’s unaware,” the pilot said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.

Fox News reported:

A disruptive passenger forced a Newark-bound United Airlines flight to make a swift U-turn back to Las Vegas late Saturday night, grounding the cross-country trip until Sunday morning.

United Flight 1681 had just departed Harry Reid International Airport when the crew flagged “a potential security concern” in the cabin.

The Boeing 737, carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, safely touched back down in Vegas at roughly 11:05 p.m. without any reported injuries, several news outlets reported.

“United flight 1681 from Las Vegas to Newark on Saturday, Oct. 24, safely returned to Las Vegas to address a potential security concern,” United Airlines said in a shared statement with Fox News Digital.

“The flight was delayed overnight due to crew timeout, and departed for Newark this morning,” the statement continued.