United Flight Returns to Las Vegas After Passenger Makes Terroristic Threat

A United Airlines flight bound for Newark, New Jersey, was diverted back to Las Vegas shortly after takeoff on Saturday night after a report of a passenger making a terroristic threat.

Las Vegas police detained a 25-year-old passenger and arrested him on charges of making a threat or providing false information regarding an act of terrorism.

United confirmed that the flight, which had 150 passengers on board, returned safely to Harry Reid International Airport to address a potential security concern.

Flightradar24 data show the scheduled redeye flight landed less than an hour after departing, and the airline delayed the aircraft overnight before it departed for Newark on Sunday morning.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate the incident and noted that there have been over 1,400 unruly passenger incidents so far in 2026.