Nvidia Employee Didn't Say "Bomb" on Airplane
A supposed bomb threat on board a flight headed to Hong Kong led to a jailed Nvidia employee.
Silicon Valley's Mercury News reports that a marketing director for Nvidia now faces a misdemeanor charge. Apparently the Nvidia employee told a flight attendant at the San Francisco International Airport he was carrying a bomb in his jacket.
Yushing Lui, 47, denies he said anything in regards to the supposed concealed device.
The bomb incident took place Thursday on a Cathay Pacific Airways plane just before taking off to Hong Kong. Lui was heading back home after a six-month shift here in the States.
While seating himself in the business class section, the flight attendant offered to take his jacket. When asked if he had anything in the jacket, Lui responded by saying "I have a bomb in my jacket."
The flight attendant backed away from the Nvidia marketing director and informed the captain. It's unclear if the attendant took the coat, or left it behind with Lui.
After a quick call, the resident San Francisco Airport Police arrived and examined the coat, however there were no sign of a bomb.
City police thus escorted Lui off the airport premisis and took him to the San Mateo County Jail. Lui denied saying anything about a bomb while under interrogation, but rather "something to the effect that he did not have a million dollars in his pocket," prosecutors said.
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Lui was later freed on a $10,000 bail, with a trial scheduled for March 8.
Chief deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told Mercury News that even if Lui was joking about a bomb, such remarks on board an aircraft can lead to prosecution.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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tengen Sounds like a combination of bad British English + Hong Kong Chinese accent.Reply
Unless he spoke Cantonese, then he's got no excuses. -
Unless someone was there to corroborate the attendant's story, I can't see how this man can be prosecuted, or even arrested... man, this is so stupid.Reply
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rhino13 You know this is why we have to start hiring English speakers here in the US.Reply
I have to work with some people that may as well be telling me they have a bomb in their jacket every time they open their mouthes, cause I can't understand a word of their English. -
Steven Bancroft Well now he knows the TSA is no one to be cocky/witty/arrogant with. Flight Security is taken pretty serious in the US, no need to be a smart ass.Reply