‘I have a bomb.’ High schooler on flight for field trip AirDrops threat, officials say

A high schooler faces criminal charges after AirDropping a bomb threat on a flight departing Texas, officials say.

Passengers on American Airlines flight 2051 from El Paso to Chicago received the threat on Friday, Feb. 17, as the plane was on the tarmac, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“I have a bomb would like to share a photo,” the AirDropped message read, according to police.

AirDrops are sent by Apple devices and allow the sender to share photos, documents and more to other Apple users. The recipient receives a message indicating a person “would like to share a photo,” meaning the sender on the Texas flight changed their name in their phone to “I have a bomb.”

There were 125 passengers and eight crew members on the plane, according to the department of public safety. It’s unclear how many received the AirDrop.

The American Airlines plane was taxied back to its gate and an investigation revealed a juvenile sent the message, the department of public safety said.

According to Pennsylvania news outlets WPXI and WTAE, the sender was a student at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. Students from the school were on a mission trip to the border, WPXI reported.

A spokesperson for the school told WTAE the AirDropped message was meant as a joke.

The threat was “deemed non-credible” after a bomb squad searched the plane, passengers and luggage, officials said.

Department of public safety officials said the juvenile was charged with false alarm or reporting an emergency. He is in custody in an El Paso juvenile facility.

This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 6:20 AM with the headline "‘I have a bomb.’ High schooler on flight for field trip AirDrops threat, officials say."