A Frontier Airlines flight at Southern California's Ontario International Airport was evacuated on Sunday night after a passenger overheard the words "bomb" and "explosion" — which turned out to be Call of Duty gameplay chat, police said.
According to the Ontario Police Department, sometime before 10 p.m. on November 8, a passenger aboard a Frontier Airlines flight waiting to depart overheard a fellow traveller using the words "bomb" and "explosion." Alarmed by what sounded like an active threat, the passenger reported it to the flight crew.
Airport authorities respond
Airport authorities reportedly took immediate action, and officials evacuated the entire aircraft as well as the east wing of Terminal 2 inside the airport as a safety precaution. Police reportedly detained the passenger who had made the comments.
During questioning, the individual explained that he was wearing headphones and speaking on a FaceTime call with a friend. They were actually playing and discussing the multiplayer mode of Call of Duty, and he was simply using gaming callouts to describe the virtual match's gunfire and explosive gameplay, NTV reported.
No crime committed
Law enforcement and airport crews conducted a thorough sweep of the aircraft and cabin. After finding no explosive devices or weapons, police determined that no crime had been committed and released the gamer without charges, KSL reported.
Once the area was cleared, all passengers — including the detained individual — were allowed to reboard, and the flight departed for its destination without further incident. According to CBS, no additional details were immediately made available, and it remains unclear what destination the plane was headed to.
