A Hawaiian Airlines flight at the San Diego International Airport was evacuated on Tuesday after a passenger falsely reported a bomb was onboard.
San Diego Harbor Police arrested and charged John Stea, a 35-year-old member of the military, with making a false bomb threat and a false report of a security threat.
While onboard Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15, Stea told a flight attendant the passenger next to him had a bomb, according to the San Diego Harbor Police. The flight attendant told the captain as the flight was pulling away from the jetway and getting ready to depart the San Diego to Honolulu.
The captain taxied the Airbus A330 to a safe location on the airfield, where it was met by the San Diego Harbor Police, the San Diego Fire Department and the FBI around 8:45 a.m. local time, and passengers were deplaned. Local and federal law enforcement crews, along with K-9s, searched the aircraft and its contents, but nothing suspicious was found.
There were 283 passengers and 10 crew members on board Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15.
Hawaiian Airlines said after law enforcement cleared the plane, passengers reboarded and the aircraft departed at 2:15 p.m. local time, about five hours after the scheduled departure time.
Spectrum News Hawaii reached out to the FBI for additional information.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with information from Hawaiian Airlines regarding the aircraft's eventual departure and the San Diego Harbor Police regarding the arrest of one person. (May 20, 2025)
