Twice-deported man accused of bomb threat and cockpit rush aboard United flight to New Orleans
A United Airlines Boeing 737 (Aviation A2Z)A Honduran man who had already been deported from the United States twice was identified Tuesday as the passenger accused of claiming he had a bomb and trying to force his way into the cockpit of a United Airlines flight bound for New Orleans, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, 34, was arrested by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office after United Airlines Flight 2174 landed at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Monday night. The Boeing 737 MAX 9, flying from Newark Liberty International Airport, carried 46 passengers and six crew members. The pilots issued a hijacking alert after Gomez-Alberto allegedly said he had a bomb and moved toward the cockpit, and the plane landed safely around 11:15 p.m. He was booked on a charge of communicating false information of planned arson and terrorizing, court records show, and is being held without bail at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. The man later told authorities the threat was a drunken joke, according to Fox News.
According to DHS, Gomez-Alberto was apprehended by Border Patrol after entering the United States illegally near El Indio, Texas, in September 2011, and was deported. He was apprehended again near Columbus, New Mexico, in October 2014, and deported a second time. In 2019, Border Patrol arrested him a third time after he crossed back into the country near San Ysidro, California. He was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in January 2020 after an immigration judge ordered his release while removal proceedings were pending. He had most recently been living in the Bronx, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office told NOLA.com.
On Tuesday, Nov. 10, ICE lodged a detainer for Gomez-Alberto with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. "On November 10, 2026, ICE lodged a detainer for Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, with Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office after he attempted to gain entry to the cockpit during a flight," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News. DHS said his criminal history includes felony bomb threat, felony terroristic-threat state offenses and disorderly conduct.
United Airlines confirmed the disturbance in a statement. "United flight 2174 from Newark to New Orleans landed safely following a disruptive incident involving a passenger onboard. Law enforcement met the aircraft upon arrival," United Media Relations said. The airline referred further questions to local authorities.
Sources: Fox News, "Twice-deported illegal immigrant accused of trying to storm United cockpit, threatening bomb: DHS" (Nov. 11, 2026, full text verified); New York Post, "Twice-deported illegal immigrant ID'd as United flier accused of bomb, hijack threat — and was sprung by judge after ICE bust" (Nov. 10, 2026, full text verified).
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