Illegal immigrant’s alleged plane hijack scare fuels tense security scramble after door was ‘breached’: audio
A Honduran national allegedly attempted to hijack a United Airlines flight from Newark to New Orleans on November 9, 2026, claiming to have a bomb, prompting a tense security response.
New security audio reveals the tense moments when emergency personnel responded to United Airlines Flight 2174 on November 9, 2026. The flight had just landed in New Orleans when pilots reported an illegal immigrant allegedly threatening to hijack the plane and claiming he "had a bomb" in his backpack.
Suspect's Background
The suspect, Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, 34, of Honduras, is currently in jail following his arrest. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed he was deported from the U.S. twice before again illegally entering the country through California in 2020, when he was released by a judge.
Security Response
Audio obtained by 4WWL captures the emergency response, with personnel heard stating, "The back door has been breached by him." The suspect, described as a Hispanic male wearing a hat and all black, was possibly being held in the back of the aircraft as passengers deplaned.
Be advised, pilots are going to stay in the cockpit with the door locked. Flight attendants are going come off, so we're going to bring them off and bring them over here as well. He doesn't speak English.
Legal Consequences
Gomez-Alberto was arrested by Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputies and is currently listed in jail with no bond on charges of terrorizing, communicating false information of planned arson, and fugitive from justice. No passengers or crew members were injured during the incident.
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