There was trouble on a United Airlines flight out of Newark, New Jersey, on Monday night.
The flight, which was bound for New Orleans, carried 46 passengers and six crew members and left New Jersey about 9:30 PM. But then the pilots radioed that there was a problem – that someone had allegedly attempted to breach the cockpit. That prompted the pilots to send out a hijack alert.
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The man was then reportedly detained, and the plane was able to land safely in New Orleans.
He was identified as New Yorker Rony Gomez Alberto, 34, local authorities told NOLA.com, saying he was acting irrationally before falsely warning the crew he had a bomb.
United Airlines confirmed the incident with The Post, and said the Sheriff’s office met the aircraft on its arrival in New Orleans, according to authorities.
The plane’s passengers safely arrived at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport after the incident, landing around 11:15 p.m., according to a United Airlines spokesperson.
Gomez was taken into custody after the plane landed, local authorities told the outlet.
He was charged with a count of communication of false information of planned arson and terrorizing, according to the publication.
Then Fox’s Bill Melugin reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) noted that the suspect was allegedly an illegal alien who had previously been deported twice.
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 alien. Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto was arrested by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office once the flight landed at MSY (New Orleans airport) and he has been charged with felony bomb threat, terroristic threats, and disorderly conduct. Per DHS – Gomez-Alberto crossed the Texas border illegally in 2011 and was deported, then illegally re-entered through the New Mexico border in 2014 and was deported a second time. He illegally re-entered the country a third time in 2019, was arrested by Border Patrol, but was released from custody after an immigration judge ordered his release. He is currently being held without bond by law enforcement in Louisiana.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 11, 2026
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According to Melugin:
Per DHS – Gomez-Alberto crossed the Texas border illegally in 2011 and was deported, then illegally re-entered through the New Mexico border in 2014 and was deported a second time. He illegally re-entered the country a third time in 2019, was arrested by Border Patrol, but was released from custody after an immigration judge ordered his release. He is currently being held without bond by law enforcement in Louisiana.
Here’s more on Gomez-Alberto from DHS:
On November 10, 2026, ICE lodged a detainer for Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras after he attempted to gain entry to the cockpit during a flight. His criminal history includes felony bomb threat, felony threat—terroristic state offenses, and disorderly conduct.
He has been removed from the country twice and was released a third time, pending removal proceedings, by a judge.
Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens who try to HIJACK AIRPLANES are NOT welcome in the United States.
On November 10, 2026, ICE lodged a detainer for Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras after he attempted to gain entry to the cockpit during a flight. His criminal history includes felony bomb threat, felony threat—terroristic state offenses, and disorderly conduct. He has been removed from the country twice and was released a third time, pending removal proceedings, by a judge. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens who try to HIJACK AIRPLANES are NOT welcome in the United States.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) November 11, 2026
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