United Airlines Flight 2174 was heading from Newark International Airport to New Orleans on Monday night when a passenger allegedly tried to force his way into the cockpit and claimed he had a bomb. The pilots responded by radioing a “Level 4” threat alert, a designation described as signaling a hijacking attempt. The aircraft eventually landed safely in New Orleans, where authorities took the passenger into custody.
Authorities identified the passenger as Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, 34. Reports said he acted erratically before making the bomb claim. Air Traffic Control audio reportedly described him as a 34-year-old Hispanic man who “spoke nearly no English.” He was detained in the back of the plane while the flight continued, according to reporting cited by The New York Post.
The flight reportedly carried 46 passengers and six crew members and left Newark around 9:30 p.m. United Airlines confirmed the incident, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office met the aircraft after it arrived at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The immediate threat ended with the plane safely on the ground, but the questions surrounding the passenger’s identity were only beginning.
DHS confirmed to Fox News that Gomez-Alberto is a Honduran national who crossed the Texas border illegally in 2011 and was deported. He then illegally re-entered through the New Mexico border in 2014 and was deported for a second time. In 2019, he allegedly re-entered the country again, was arrested by Border Patrol, and was released after an immigration judge ordered his release.
That sequence, as described by DHS, involves three illegal entries and two deportations before the latest arrest. It is difficult to dismiss that as a minor paperwork problem. Deportation orders are supposed to mean something, especially when the person later appears in the middle of a serious security incident aboard a commercial flight.
After the plane landed, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Gomez-Alberto. He was charged with felony bomb threat, terroristic threats, and disorderly conduct. He is being held without bond in Louisiana, according to the information cited by Fox News. The charges remain allegations pending court proceedings, but the reported cockpit breach and bomb claim were serious enough to trigger a hijacking alert.
The Gateway Pundit reported the incident, while the cited accounts from The New York Post and Fox News supplied additional details. The episode leaves passengers with a straightforward question: how did a twice-deported illegal alien get back into the country and onto a commercial flight? That question reaches beyond airline screening. It goes to whether deportation orders are actually enforced, or simply filed away until the next crisis.
NEW: DHS confirms to @FoxNews that a suspect arrested on a Newark to New Orleans United flight last night for allegedly storming the cockpit and claiming to have a bomb, leading to United putting out a hijack alert for the plane, is a 2x previously deported Honduran illegal… pic.twitter.com/LDVZDYMi8I
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 11, 2026
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