A “35-year-old member of the military” was arrested by Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department after an apparent airplane issue.
John Stea, now faces a pair of charges for what he allegedly did on a Hawaiian Airlines flight: making a false bomb threat and making a false report of a security threat.
“On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the suspect was onboard Hawaiian Airlines flight 15 when he told a flight attendant the passenger next to him had a bomb,” port authorities announced. “The flight attendant informed the captain of the plane about the potential threat as the flight was pulling away from the jetway and getting ready to depart the San Diego International Airport to Honolulu, Hawaii.
“At approximately 8:45 a.m., the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Maritime Tactical Team (MARTAC, also known as SWAT), K-9 Team, and Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with the San Diego Fire Department and multiple federal agencies, responded to the scene to search the aircraft and its contents.
“The plane captain had taxied to a safe location on the airfield. All 293 people onboard were deplaned and transported by bus to a safe area. K-9s cleared the aircraft including all carry-on and checked luggage.”
(Those 293 people were made up of 283 passengers and 10 crew members.)
Authorities stressed that this appears to be a one-off and that no other threats or operational delays should be expected.
“There is no threat to the public or travelers, and operations at San Diego International Airport are normal,” port authorities said.
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They added: “Harbor Police reminds the public that maliciously reporting a false bomb threat is against the law and can result in fines and up to one year incarceration in county jail or state prison if convicted.”
One passenger on the affected flight told KHNL about the experience.
“At first I was like, kind of calm. I thought that it was just something wrong with the plane,” the passenger told the outlet. “But then as soon as I saw the FBI come in with their rifles and stuff, that’s when I was like getting kind of scared.
“And then I saw somebody getting handcuffed in that video, and then I was like, ‘OK wait, this is kind of getting serious.’”
“The other passengers, they said that they had like two big black luggages that looked like toolboxes. And they were like already acting suspicious from the gate. I think they were acting like drunk, and they were saying some suspicious things,” the passenger added. “That kind of became a red flag that something suspicious was going on with them.”
You can watch other passengers’ accounts of the incident, courtesy of KHNL, below:
The Navy confirmed with KNSD, “Electronics Technician 2nd Class Stea is assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Group One.”
“The safety of the public and our personnel is of utmost importance to the Navy,” Navy representative Lt. Mohammad N. Issa said. “We take all threats seriously and are cooperating fully with local and federal authorities.”
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