SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Authorities have released the identity of a man who was arrested after a flight departing the San Diego Airport was evacuated Tuesday morning for reports of a bomb threat that was later cleared.
The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department announced the arrest of John Stea, a 35-year-old member of the military, who is facing charges for reportedly making a false bomb threat.
According to police, Stea was on board Hawaiian Airlines flight 15 Tuesday morning that was pulling away from the jetway and getting ready to depart the San Diego International Airport to Honolulu, Hawaii when he reportedly told a flight attendant that the passenger next to him had a bomb.
The flight attendant told the captain, who taxied the plane to a safe location on the airfield. All 293 people onboard were deplaned and transported by bus to a safe area, police report.
Around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, 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.
K-9s cleared the aircraft, including all carry-on and checked luggage.
Passengers were let back on the Hawaiian Airlines flight after the search ended, and the plane departed SAN around 2:20 p.m., about six hours after its original scheduled departure.
The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department reports there is no threat to the public or travelers and operations at San Diego International Airport have continued Tuesday as normal.
Stea is facing charges of Making a False Bomb Threat, California Penal Code (PC) 148.1, and False Report of a Security Threat, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Code 7.07.
Harbor Police is reminding the public that 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.
