Teen arrested for alleged bomb threat on plane — but his mom says it was just a joke: ‘He's a good kid'

New York Post

18-07-2025

A teenage boy's vacation ended with a one-way ticket to juvenile detention — after he allegedly made a bomb threat aboard a Spirit Airlines flight leaving Fort Lauderdale.
But his mom says it was all just a dumb joke.
The 16-year-old, who was headed back to Kansas City with friends Monday, was arrested at around 3:15 p.m. at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after allegedly blurting out, 'I have a bomb in my pocket,' as the plane was preparing for takeoff.
Cue panic in the aisle.
3 A Florida getaway turned into a Spirit flight from hell — ending with a teen cuffed and carted to juvie over a bogus bomb threat.
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A fellow passenger overheard the comment and reported him, triggering a full-blown security response and evacuating the plane.
The unidentified teen was hauled off Flight 1332 by Broward Sheriff's deputies, per People, and later charged with criminal mischief of $1,000 or more and making a false report of a bomb or explosive.
But his mother insists the offhand comment was never meant as a threat — just immature slang gone very, very wrong.
'He's a good kid,' she told the Miami Herald, adding that he was just joking about his masculinity.
Spirit Airlines confirmed the midair mayhem in a statement made to NBC Miami, saying, 'The aircraft taxied to a remote location, and guests were safely unplaned.'
'The plane was inspected and cleared by law enforcement.'
That not-so-funny joke cost Spirit an estimated $50,000 in delays and disruptions, according to testimony in juvenile court Tuesday.
A viral TikTok reportedly taken from inside the cabin shows the moment the boy was escorted off the aircraft as confused passengers were forced onto the tarmac.
The plane — originally scheduled to take off at 2:37 p.m. — didn't leave the ground until 7:44 p.m.
3 What was supposed to be a smooth 2:37 p.m. takeoff turned into a 7:44 p.m. crawl to the skies.
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'I would just like to ask for grace in this matter,' the boy's father, Phillip Schmidt, said at the hearing via Zoom.
'I don't believe he acted criminally. He was acting as an immature 16-year-old, in my opinion.'
The teen's lawyer argued that the facts don't even clearly place the comment on the aircraft.
'There was one statement, 'I have a bomb in my pocket,'' the attorney said.
'But the problem is it doesn't say where this was said. Was this on the plane? Was it in the airport? Was it on the way to the airport?'
None of it mattered to the judge — who ordered the teen to undergo a psychological evaluation and remain in custody at a juvenile facility.
The Missouri native had reportedly been staying in South Florida with family friends before heading home — with what was supposed to be a smooth flight and zero explosive punchlines.
No explosives were found on the plane or on the teen, and no one was injured — except maybe Spirit's schedule and the boy's summer plans.
As previously reported by The Post, a Michigan man allegedly phoned in a fake bomb threat last month after Spirit Airlines wouldn't let him board his flight, forcing passengers to deplane and sparking an FBI response.
Charles Robinson, 23, reportedly missed his chance to board Flight 2145 out of Detroit, then blew up at customer service agents when they told him to rebook.
3 The judge didn't flinch — slapping the teen with a psych eval and a stay in juvenile custody after his stunt.
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In a wild act of revenge, Robinson called in a bogus bomb threat around 6:45 a.m., even making up a would-be terrorist and giving authorities a full description, prosecutors said.
Looks like Spirit's summer travelers are getting more bang than they bargained for — no explosives, just explosive behavior.