Teen arrested after making bomb threat on plane at Fort Lauderdale airport, BSO says
A 16-year-old boy faces serious charges after Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies say he made a bomb threat while on a plane that arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Monday.
The sheriff’s office said he was on a departing Spirit Airlines plane and deputies were called to meet the aircraft around 3:15 p.m.
The sheriff’s office did not detail what he said, but he was arrested on charges of criminal mischief of $1,000 or more and making a false report of a bomb or explosive, the sheriff’s office said in an email to the Herald.
Authorities did not identify the boy.
A woman who said she’s the teen’s mother told the Herald that her son was sitting on the plane as it was set to depart back home to Kansas City, Missouri, when he made a joke about his masculinity, quipping, “I have a bomb in my pocket.”
His mother said a woman in the aisle next to his seat reported the boy’s comments. But, she insists, he did not mean his comment as any type of threat, and thought he was just using slang.
“He’s a good kid,” his mother said.
The boy, who was on vacation with friends in South Florida, was taken into juvenile detention, and was still in custody as of Tuesday afternoon, his mother said.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 11:20 AM.
