A Hawaiian Airlines flight from San Diego to Honolulu was stopped after a U.S. military service member said the person next to him had a bomb, police said.

The pilots of Hawaiian Airlines flight 15 had pulled away from the gate Tuesday and were getting ready to depart when passenger John Stea, 35, told a flight attendant that a passenger next to him had a bomb, the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department said.

The port police, San Diego Fire Department personnel and federal agencies came and searched the aircraft, but turned up nothing. Everyone on board had to deplane, and specialized service dogs cleared all carry-on and checked baggage, port police said.

Police identified Mr. Stea as a member of the military but did not specify the branch to which he belongs. He is an electronics technician 1st class with the Navy, according to NBC News.

Mr. Stea faces charges of making a false bomb threat and false report of a security threat.

“The safety of the public and our personnel is of utmost importance to the Navy. We take all threats seriously and are cooperating fully with local and federal authorities,” U.S. 3rd Fleet Deputy Public Affairs Officer Lt. Mohammad Issa told NBC News.

There were 10 crew members and 283 passengers on the plane, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Hawaiian Airlines told the Union-Tribune that “guests were safely deplaned. We appreciate their understanding during this situation and apologize for any concern this may have caused. We are grateful for the professionalism and care of our flight attendants and pilots throughout this event.”

Flight 15, which first departed from its gate at 8:35 a.m. local time, left San Diego International Airport at 2:15 p.m. and landed at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu without further incident at about 7:47 p.m. San Diego time, according to FlightAware.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.