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A United Airlines passenger accused of grounding his plane home to New Jersey after a flight attendant saw him texting about alleged hijacking plans told cops he was just drunk and joking around with a friend in another seat.
Dante Milne, 25, a trainee welder, was arrested over the weekend for allegedly sending a text, saying, “I’m gonna hijack this bitch and crash ur row only,” while aboard a United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark Saturday, according to a criminal complaint.
After his arrest, the Wood-Ridge, New Jersey-native told investigators he’d downed a beer and some shots at the airport bar.
He then fell asleep on the flight only to discover after he awoke that the plane was heading back to Vegas just minutes after taking off, according to Fox 5 Vegas, which cited his arrest report.
Initially, Milne said he texted someone on the flight but said he didn’t remember what the messages were about, the arrest report said.
But when he was specifically asked about the hijack comment, he claimed it was poorly worded “banter between coworkers,” the arrest report said.
Milne claimed he never meant to take over the plane and said he was sorry about how things went down.
Milne had been on his way home after a three-day trip in Sin City for a work apprenticeship training program for underwater welding, he told detectives.
The security scare unfolded during Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, when a flight attendant allegedly saw Milne typing out the missive on his phone.
That crew member alerted the captain, prompting a lockdown and an eventual return to the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas at 11:05 p.m., just 15 minutes after takeoff.
Milne was not confronted on the flight and was arrested by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police who were awaiting the aircraft on the tarmac.
Everyone was evacuated and the plane was inspected. No one was injured.
Milne, who was charged with one count of making threats or conveying false information concerning act of terrorism, was released on $10,000 bail from the Clark County Detention Center.
His lawyer, James Gallo, told a judge Tuesday that Milne planned to plead not guilty, according to a report by News 3 LV. Milne is due in court on Jan. 5.
Milne and Gallo both didn’t return requests for comment.
