SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A Delta Airlines pilot who was taken from the cockpit after landing at San Francisco International Airport Saturday night has been arrested on child sexual abuse charges out of the East Bay.
Delta Flight 2809 had just arrived from Minneapolis when a group of local and federal law enforcement agents suddenly boarded the plane and stormed the cockpit.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office says the 34-year-old pilot was arrested and booked on felony charges for sex acts with a child under the age of 10. He is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on a $5 million bond.
The sheriff’s office says they’ve been investigating the pilot since April 2025 after receiving a report of sex crimes against a child.
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A spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations told ABC7 News this is not a federal investigation but they did assist with the arrest since it happened at SFO.
An official with the Department of Homeland Security also told ABC News the pilot is facing charges relating to child sexual abuse material.
Passengers aboard the flight posted video online showing agents walking through the aisle of the plane. The sheriff’s office says it was a group of Contra Costa County detectives with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations.
A passenger named Sarah, who didn’t want to disclose her last name, told ABC7 News federal agents rushed on board just after the plane landed and passengers began reaching for their bags.
Sarah counted at least 10 agents, some wearing badges she recognized as Homeland Security.
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“They barged through and stormed the cockpit,” she said. “They removed the co-pilot, cuffed him, presumably arrested him, and brought him back down the aisle to deplane. I don’t know if this person was disappearing before our eyes, if there had been a crime committed, or what exactly was happening.”
She added that fellow passengers, flight attendants and even the remaining pilot appeared just as confused by the situation. Despite arriving safely, the incident stayed with her long after she left the airport.
“It was scary. It was traumatic to watch,” Sarah said.
While it appears the pilot lived in the East Bay in the past, FAA Records show he now lives in Miami, Florida, that he got his pilot certificate in 2022 and that he’s rated to fly 757 and 767 jets.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office says they’ll put out a statement about this later on Monday.
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