The passenger, Yoel Guevara-Crespo, said he was “joking,” according to an arrest report
NEED TO KNOW
- Yoel Guevara-Crespo was arrested after saying he had a bomb while boarding a flight to Cuba at Miami International Airport on Aug. 31
- Guevara-Crespo said he was joking about the claim, which he allegedly made to an American Airlines gate agent
- Authorities found no explosives in his luggage and he was charged with a false bomb report, a felony
A man was arrested in Miami after allegedly stating that he had a bomb just before boarding a flight — a claim he later said was meant to be a joke.
Yoel Guevara-Crespo was arrested at Miami International Airport on Monday, Aug. 31, after telling a gate agent that he had a bomb in his luggage while preparing to board his flight, according to an arrest report obtained by PEOPLE. He later told authorities he was kidding, and was charged with a false bomb report, which is a felony, after no explosive was found.
The 33-year-old Louisiana resident was getting ready to take Camagüey-bound American Airlines Flight 1319 at Gate D45 on Monday when an American Airlines ticket counter agent began asking him “the standard security questions,” the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest report states.
“Do you have any lithium batteries or incendiary devices in the bag?” the gate agent asked, to which Guevara-Crespo allegedly replied, “No, but I have a bomb.”
The agent subsequently told him that he would not be able to fly, and said she would be alerting her supervisor. According to the arrest report, Guevara-Crespo then stated that he was “joking.”
Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Airport Operations Bureau were then dispatched to the gate, and Guevara-Crespo was taken into custody “without incident,” the arrest report states.
No explosives were found in his luggage, which was inspected in a sweep by a K-9 dog.
During a formal interview with authorities, Guevara-Crespo “gave a full confession,” the arrest report states. He was arrested on a false bomb report charge, a second-degree felony, and jailed at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
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On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Guevara-Crespo faced a judge, who found probable cause and set his bond at $2,500, according to ABC affiliate WSVN and WPLG Local 10.
American Airlines was allowed to resume normal operations after Guevara-Crespo was taken into custody, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.
PEOPLE has reached out to American Airlines for comment.
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