Breeze Airways flight diverted after passenger allegedly makes fake bomb threat
A Breeze Airways flight was diverted after a passenger claimed there was a bomb on the plane, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.
Evan Sims allegedly claimed his travel companion had an explosive device during a flight from Orlando, Florida, to Providence, Rhode Island, on Tuesday, according to an affidavit filed in federal court in Florida this week. The plane was diverted to Jacksonville.
He and his companion, who were in a romantic relationship, argued onboard. Sims said he “was going to ‘fire up a vape,’” and “hoped the airplane did not ‘go down,’ ” the affidavit signed by FBI special agent Molly Chapman said.
He also allegedly made comments about “needing to use the emergency doors” and questioned the crew about the emergency life raft in the overhead compartment, among other statements.
Sims’ companion told him multiple times that their relationship was over. As the crew prepared to move her to another seat after takeoff, crew and other passengers heard him claim she had a bomb “approximately two times.”
All passengers deplaned upon landing, but bomb detection dogs did not find one. Sims told special agents and an official from the Transportation Security Administration that “he was making ‘jokes’ about the airplane ‘going down’ because he was unfamiliar with the airline company, and he was nervous about flying.” He added that he wanted to get off the plane because his companion had broken up with him, and he no longer wanted to go to Rhode Island.
Sims denied using the word “bomb,” suggesting he had said “calm” instead, but also said he may have used the word by accident once. He is charged with false information and threats, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison if convicted.
Breeze Airways and an attorney for Sims did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Air rage on planes: Why it's every traveler's problem
The rate of unruly passenger incidents has dropped by more than 80% after hitting record highs in 2021, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency received 2,455 reports of unruly passengers in 2022, down from 5,973 the year before.
The FAA had received 1,931 unruly passenger reports this year as of Dec. 3.
Is it illegal to say bomb in a plane or airport?
Yes. The Justice Department refers to such acts as a "bomb hoax" and provides "civil and criminal felony provisions for the conveyance of false information regarding attempts or alleged attempts to destroy, damage, or disable aircraft, aircraft related facilities or motor vehicles and their related facilities."
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Traveler allegedly made fake bomb threat on Breeze Airways flight
