A passenger on a Southwest flight that diverted from Hawaii after someone used Apple's AirDrop feature to share a photo suggesting there was a bomb on the plane said she was afraid she and her two children were going to die.
Valerie Maluchnik, a teacher who was on the flight, told Insider that she was flying home to Hawaii with her 15-year-old daughter and her 8-year-old son when the incident occurred.
After falling asleep on the flight, Maluchnik said she woke up and "noticed that there was no Wi-Fi on the plane" after it had previously been working. She said that she began seeing flight attendants talking in the front of the plane and that things onboard seemed tense.
About an hour into the flight, the pilot announced they'd be diverting to Oakland, California, because of a mechanical issue, she said.
"So, of course, I'm panicking already," Maluchnik said, "In my mind, I'm like, 'is this thing going down?' and then it just kind of spiraled from there."
She said she noticed one flight attendant talking to herself, repeatedly saying: "Get me the fuck off this plane."
"I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is it. This is the end for me and my kids,'" she said.
Eventually, the flight landed in Oakland.
Maluchnik filmed a TikTok of an Oakland County Police deputy coming aboard and announcing a "security incident" that required them to exit only with their phones, IDs, and boarding passes. Medications and medical devices were also allowed, Maluchnik added.
Other videos on Maluchnik's TikTok showed passengers being deplaned, their luggage being pulled off the flight to be searched, and people waiting in the airport.
When everyone exited the plane, Maluchnik said the tarmac was crowded with dogs, officials, emergency vehicles, and police officers.
After boarding buses and traveling to a gate to meet an explosive specialist, Maluchnik said they asked her: "Did you receive any AirDrops during the flight?"
She said she hadn't and was directed to go through airport security. "They were monitoring, making sure none of us had wandered off or left in case someone had done the bomb threat," Maluchnik said, adding that she didn't know the full extent of the incident until other passengers told her that someone had AirDropped a photo suggesting a bomb was on the plane.
Eventually, Maluchnik got her luggage back and boarded another flight to Hawaii, with fellow passengers and Southwest Airlines staff helping everyone navigate the traumatic situation.
Maluchnik said that Southwest gave her a credit for a future flight and that the airline had already reached out about the situation.
While she was especially worried for her children, Maluchnik said the event didn't seem to phase them as much, including her son, who has autism.
"It just doesn't register, what we went through," she said. "And to have people say, 'you have to be strong for your kids,' but at the same time, it's my traumatic experience, too."
Since the flight on Monday, Maluchnik — who said she also had post-traumatic stress disorder — said she'd been actively seeking mental-health help, possibly including a service dog.
Police haven't identified who was behind the AirDropped photo.
Southwest Airlines told Insider in a statement that it would defer additional questions to local authorities who met the aircraft.
"Safety is our guiding focus and we're grateful for patience and understanding during this delayed journey to Hawaii," the statement added.
