A Delta Air Lines co-pilot was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents on charges of child sexual abuse material at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night.
The arrest occurred after Delta Flight 2349 from Minneapolis landed around 9:35 p.m. due to heavy fog.
– Passengers described the scene as chaotic, with about 10 law enforcement officers, including HSI agents, boarding the plane and arresting the co-pilot.
One passenger, Sarah Christianson, said the officers “stormed the cockpit, cuffed the co-pilot, arrested him, walked him down the aisle, and ushered him off the plane through the cabin doors located between first and coach class.
Video footage shared online showed law enforcement agents leaving the cockpit area of the plane.
The co-pilot’s identity has not been released, but according to Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, the arrested pilot is Rustom Bhagwagar, who is being held on $5 million bail for five counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years of age.
The investigation began in April 2025 after authorities received information about sex crimes against a child.
Authorities had an arrest warrant and were tipped off that Bhagwagar would be flying into San Francisco International Airport.
Delta Air Lines has declined to comment directly on the arrest, referring questions to law enforcement.
The airline’s response has raised concerns about airline oversight and screening, though law enforcement officials stressed that the arrest was part of an ongoing investigation and not connected to the flight operation itself.
