American teen pilot detained in Antarctica while raising money for cancer on solo trip
The young pilot, Ethan Guo, set out in his small plane to become the youngest person to fly solo across the world.
Guo was detained by Chilean authorities in Antarctica, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Authorities allege the 19-year-old landed his Cessna 182Q plane without authorization and provided "false flight plan data" — which launched an investigation.
He was authorized to fly only over Punta Arenas, Chile, according to prosecutors, as AP reported, but Guo continued going south.
By his own choice, Guo has been staying at a Chilean territory military base, since he's been unable to get a flight out due to weather conditions, according to AP.
The Chilean territory covers a region in West Antarctica as well as nearby islands, according to The Oxford Science Park.
Guo was first charged with handing false information to ground control and landing without authorization until an agreement was reached between his attorneys and Chilean prosecutors, AP noted.
In its 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the U.S. State Department examined whether Chile engages in prolonged detention without charges.
"The constitution prohibited arbitrary arrest and detention and provided for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of their arrest or detention in court," the report stated. "The government generally observed these requirements."
The judge dropped the charges on Monday, but Guo is to give a $30,000 donation to a children's cancer foundation within 30 days to avoid a trial.
Guo must also leave Antarctica as soon as he can and is prohibited from returning to Chilean territory for three years.
He told AP via text message that he was relieved by the case's outcome.
"I remain in Antarctica awaiting approval for my departure flight … I sincerely hope they give it to me soon so that I and my plane can continue with my original mission."
Bryan Stern of Gray Bull Rescue, a nonprofit focused on saving lives in some of the world's most dangerous places, told Fox News Digital, "Just like in America, both sides need to be emotionally ready to settle."
Added Stern, "Dealing with Chilean authorities is very similar to dealing with many countries in Latin America … They have laws and they expect them to be followed. It's a sovereign country, and presenting a legal argument or a humanitarian argument, and allowing cooler heads to prevail, is the key."
He also said, "Bottom line is, the kid broke the law, and an arrangement and negotiation that is amicable for everybody while respecting the sovereignty of a country must occur."
Stern also said travelers should not go to "high-risk" destinations.
"Right now, there is not an entity within the executive branch really in charge of an American in trouble if they violate a law in a foreign country," said Stern.
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "The department has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens … Whenever a U.S. citizen is in need of consular assistance overseas, we stand ready to assist."
The spokesperson also shared that due to privacy concerns, the department had no further comment on the case at hand.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Mexico, under pressure from Trump, sends 26 cartel members to US
MEXICO CITY, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Mexico sent more than two dozen suspected cartel members to the U.S. on Tuesday, amid rising pressure from President Donald Trump on Mexico to dismantle the country's powerful drug organizations. Authorities shipped 26 prisoners wanted in the U.S. for ties to drug-trafficking groups, Mexico's attorney general's office and security ministry said in a joint statement. Mexico said the U.S. Department of Justice had requested their extradition and that it would not seek the death penalty for the accused cartel members. The transfer is the second of its kind this year. In February, Mexican authorities sent 29 alleged cartel leaders to the U.S., sparking a debate about the political and legal grounds for such a move. More: State Department updates Mexico travel advisory for Americans That Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum permitted yet another large-scale extradition of Mexican nationals underscores the balancing act she faces as she seeks to appease Trump while also avoiding unilateral U.S. military action in Mexico. In a statement, the U.S. Embassy said among those extradited were key figures in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, which are Mexico's two dominant organized crime groups. 'This transfer is yet another example of what is possible when two governments unite against violence and impunity," U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said in a statement. "These fugitives will now face justice in American courts, and the citizens of both our nations will be safer.' More: Mexican President rules out Trump's reported military plan against Mexico's drug cartels Trump has tied tariffs on Mexico to the deadly fentanyl trade, claiming the country hasn't tackled drug cartels aggressively enough. Last week, he directed the Pentagon to prepare operations against Mexican drug gangs that have been designated global terrorist organizations. Sheinbaum has said the U.S. and Mexico are nearing a security agreement to expand cooperation in the fight against cartels. But she has flatly rejected suggestions by the Trump administration that it could carry out unilateral military operations in Mexico. (Additional reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese, Cassandra Garrison and Lincoln Feast.)
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Tottenham condemns racist abuse of Mathys Tel after UEFA Super Cup
LONDON (AP) — Tottenham has slammed the "cowards" who racially abused French forward Mathys Tel after the team's loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup after a penalty shootout. The 20-year-old Tel, who is Black, was one of two Tottenham players who failed to convert their penalties as they lost the shootout 4-3 to PSG after a 2-2 draw. 'We are disgusted at the racial abuse that Mathys Tel has received on social media following last night's UEFA Super Cup defeat," Tottenham said in a statement. 'Mathys showed bravery and courage to step forward and take a penalty, yet those who abuse him are nothing but cowards — hiding behind anonymous user names and profiles to spout their abhorrent views." Tottenham said the club will work with the authorities and social media platforms to take 'the strongest possible action against any individual we are able to identify.' 'We stand with you, Mathys,' Spurs added. Tel, who joined the team on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich in the offseason after a loan spell last season, went on as a substitute in the 79th minute when Tottenham was 2-0 ahead. He hit his shootout penalty wide. ___
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
It's not just DC: Republicans seem happy to let Trump do whatever he wants
For a party that claims to care about federal overreach, GOP leaders certainly have been quiet about President Trump's invasion of an American city. I'm starting to wonder when our government's checks and balances will kick in – or if they will at all. On Monday, Aug. 11, President Donald Trump announced he would be deploying the National Guard in Washington, DC, and taking over the city's police force "to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.' The troops began showing up on Tuesday evening. According to Trump, violent crime is up in the nation's capital, and he's the only one who can rescue the city from societal collapse. It's a convenient narrative, one that feeds into MAGA's perception of him. For the rest of us, it's a terrifying move that shows he is willing to test the limits of presidential oversight. But while Trump's hostile takeover of DC public safety is concerning on its own, it's more alarming that Republicans in Congress are letting him do this with seemingly no regard for what is ethical. Even if this deployment is legal, there are certain lines that presidents should not cross. This is one of them. And I have to ask. Would Republicans be sitting on their hands if a Democratic president were doing everything that Trump is doing? I would hope not, but here we are. Of course, Trump is lying about crime in DC Trump seems to have called in the military after an assault on a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer on Aug. 3. While it's horrible that a government employee was attacked, Trump's declaration that Washington is crime-infested and dangerous doesn't align with reality. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crime is down 26% compared with last year. In fact, 2024 marked a 30-year low for violent crime in Washington, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Per a New York Times analysis, the homicide rate in 2023 was 40.4 per 100,000 people, the highest rate in 20 years. But that rate declined in 2024, down to 26.6 per 100,000 people. And homicides in the city continue to decline in 2025. While Trump is correct in saying this rate is higher than those of Mexico City and Bogotá, Colombia, it doesn't paint the full picture. A federal takeover is an extreme reaction. It doesn't matter, of course, that violent crime in the city is down overall this year. That wouldn't fit in with the Trumpian narrative, the one where he's the hero saving tourists and locals alike from violent crime. Are you worried about crime? Do you feel safe where you live? Tell us. | Opinion Forum Who even asked for this? It wasn't DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. All of this is happening to the dismay of Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser, who noted on the Aug. 12 edition of 'The Breakfast Club' that the militarization of the city will instill fear in its residents. '(Trump) wants to send the message to cities that if he can get away with this in Los Angeles, if he can get away with this in DC, he can get away with it in New York, or Baltimore or Chicago, or any other place where millions of people live, work and are doing everything the right way,' Bowser said on the radio show. Bowser is right, this is an escalation. It's Trump's way of showing everyone in Democratic parts of the country that he has the final say and that he isn't afraid to use the military to his advantage. Trump is a bully. He's using the National Guard to conquer DC as a test run. | Opinion Will Republicans hold Trump accountable for anything? For a party that claims to care about federal overreach, GOP leaders certainly have been quiet about Trump's invasion of an American city. In fact, it seems that many are supportive of the move. If a Democratic president were to try to do this, the Republican Party would decry authoritarianism's arrival in the United States. But because it's Trump, there has been zero pushback. Just like his tariff plan that's costing everyday Americans, the failed Elon Musk overhaul of the federal government, the deployment of soldiers against citizens in Los Angeles and his ruthless immigration agenda that includes trying to erase due process, the GOP is letting him get away with all of it. Republicans may even be happy about it. Imagine if Joe Biden did any of that? The Republican pearl-clutching would be generational. But this is fine because it's their king. Trump is considering extending the troop deployment beyond 30 days, something he will need congressional approval for. This seems entirely plausible, even likely, because of the Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress. I'm hesitant to throw the F-word – fascism – around, but if the Trump administration continues down this path, I worry that the rights we have as Americans will slip away. Who's stopping the president from deploying troops to other cities in the United States? It certainly isn't going to be Congress. There's some hope for the Supreme Court, but it has a 6-3 conservative majority. All of this is happening within the first year of Trump's return to the White House. There's no telling what the next three years will bring if this is how he's starting out. There should be firm lines that presidents do not cross – there are some things that are not appropriate or reasonable for a president to do. Yet that line keeps getting moved by Republicans, who don't seem to care as long as their conservative agenda is being implemented. Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno
