Authorities investigate a Frontier flight in Atlanta after a verbal bomb threat was allegedly made on March 29, 2026. (Credit: James Scuka)
ATLANTA - The man accused of making a bomb threat on a Frontier Airlines flight that landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday afternoon had outstanding arrest warrants, police said.
What we know:
Pierre-Saint Richardson, 48, is charged with terroristic threats after making a verbal bomb threat on flight 2539 while it was taxiing to the gate shortly after 5 p.m.
After his arrest, Richardson was booked into the Clayton County Jail.
The backstory:
The incoming flight from Ohio was directed to a remote location outside the Atlanta airport terminal while law enforcement investigated.
Passengers were taken off the plane and bused to the terminal while law enforcement investigated.
Officials deemed the threat not credible and said the situation was not treated as a hijacking.
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Tense moments on Frontier flight to Atlanta
A passenger on board a Frontier Airlines flight to Atlanta recounted the situation to FOX 5 after a man allegedly made a verbal bomb threat upon landing.
What we don't know:
While the Atlanta Police Department said Richardson had outstanding warrants, they did not specify what the warrants were for or where they were issued.
What they're saying:
One passenger on the flight told FOX 5 he was sitting a few rows back when the situation unfolded.
"They just seem like regular, normal folks. It was two gentlemen. They had very thick African accents, and I think that is kind of what played into this a little bit. I think there's just some cultural differences," said James Scuka, a flight passenger.
Scuka said that after the landing, the man police previously described as an "unruly passenger" stood from his seat, and a flight attendant told him to sit back down.
He explained the man wouldn't sit back down, and the passenger sitting next to him protested, but the flight attendant seemed to resolve the situation.
"Everything seemed to be fine, but I think the other stewardess had already called, made the phone call at that point, and I think once you make that phone call to Atlanta PD, I don't think you can walk it back," Scuka said.
Scuka added that he never heard a bomb threat or the word "bomb" mentioned.
RELATED: Frontier flight investigated for verbal bomb threat at Atlanta airport
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Atlanta Police Department, an interview with a passenger on board the Frontier flight and prior FOX 5 reporting.