Lancaster County Man Pleads Guilty to Bomb Hoax Targeting the 2024 U.S. Open

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Aidan Getchius, 21, of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge John M. Gallagher to one count of conveying false information and hoaxes.

The defendant was charged with that offense by information in September of this year. With today’s plea, he has waived prosecution by indictment.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on September 2, 2024, at 12:12 p.m., the United States Tennis Association (“USTA”) was sent a threat via direct message on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating that “I’m inside Louis Armstrong with a bomb that will go off at 1 pm est.” The message was sent from the X profile “GetchiSoto,” an account created and operated by Getchius.

At the time, a Round of 16 (quarterfinals) match in the United States Open women’s division was in progress in the Louis Armstrong Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. The stadium was not evacuated, but the New York Police Department conducted a sweep for explosive devices.

While Getchius claimed in the direct message to have a bomb in Louis Armstrong Stadium, he knew he did not possess an explosive device in or near the stadium and was merely seeking to disrupt the women’s match in progress.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10 and faces a maximum possible term of five years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.