Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Latin Times
Latin Times
National
Elizabeth Urban

Snooping Passenger Sparks Bomb Scare After Misinterpreting Seatmate's Texts Mid-Flight

A passenger mistakenly prompted a bomb scare after reading their seatmate's texts over their shoulder mid-flight and misinterpreting the message. (Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A passenger mistakenly prompted a bomb scare after sneaking a look at their seatmate's texts mid-flight and misinterpreting the message.

A July 3 American Airlines flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Dallas, Texas, was forced to turn around after an passenger reported what she believed to be a threat after her seatmate received an "RIP" text, Primera Hora reported.

After hearing this, the flight crew turned the flight around and headed back to San Juan where the passenger was questioned by authorities, who learned that the text message was intended as condolences, as the passenger who received the message had relative die the day prior.

The passenger was able to provide proof of this, and cited the death as reason for traveling. Once law enforcement cleared the plane, the flight was rescheduled for later that morning.

"The flight landed safely at SJU, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart," American Airlines said in a statement to USA Today. "Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.