Jack Sweeney brings back Elon Musk jet-tracking Twitter account
A new Twitter account launched by suspended user Jack Sweeney that tracks Elon Musk’s private jet flights has been “search banned,” the mogul’s college-age tormentor told The Post on Friday.
Sweeney, the 20-year-old University of Central Florida sophomore whose @Elonjet account was banned this month, returned to Twitter with @ElonJetNextDay, which goes by the name “ElonJet but Delayed.”
Rather than having a bot provide same-day information about Musk’s private jet flights, Sweeney told The Post, he will manually upload the information after 24 hours.
However, Sweeney claimed @ElonJetNextDay remains hard to find because it has been “search banned” — meaning it’s hidden as sensitive content and can only be found after adjusting Twitter’s search settings.
The Post reached out to Musk for comment.
The embattled Twitter CEO recently changed the site’s terms of service to allow for “sharing publicly available location information after a reasonable time has elapsed, so that the individual is no longer at risk for physical harm.”
Sweeney, who has been threatened with legal action by Musk over @elonjet, said he didn’t anticipate the new iteration of his jet-tracking account to run afoul of Twitter’s rules.
“The 24-hour delay is allowed on Twitter,” said Sweeney, adding that his personal account remains shut down.
Sweeney launched the new handle a week after his @elonjet account was banned. A recent @ElonJetNextDay post showed Musk’s private aircraft landing in Oakland on Wednesday following a 3-hour, 20-minute flight that took off from Austin, Texas, where the mogul’s electric car maker, Tesla, is headquartered.
Sweeney said real-time flight-tracking of Musk’s private jet flights remains active on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and Mastodon, which has emerged as a preferred destination among anti-Musk elements who chafe at his management style at the helm of Twitter.
Sweeney has told The Post that he is not concerned about any possible legal action from Musk.
Last week, Sweeney told The Post he believed Musk was “bluffing” when the mogul tweeted that he was looking into suing the student.
Musk apparently blamed Sweeney’s @ElonJet account for helping an alleged stalker tail a vehicle that was carrying the mogul’s young son on a Los Angeles highway.
“Last night, car carrying lil X in LA was followed by crazy stalker (thinking it was me), who later blocked car from moving & climbed onto hood,” Musk tweeted.
Musk then appeared to imply that Sweeney’s flight-tracking Twitter handle may have been to blame, tweeting: “Legal action is being taken against Sweeney & organizations who supported harm to my family.”
Sweeney rejected Musk’s assertion. He said the incident involving the “stalker” took place some 24 hours after @ElonJet reported that Musk’s private plane landed in the Los Angeles area.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials said earlier this week that a member of Musk’s security detail — and not the alleged stalker — is a suspect.
According to the South Pasadena Police Department, a member of Musk’s security entourage was involved in a Dec. 13 incident that included two vehicles.
The “stalker” seen in a video that Musk posted on his Twitter account told police that it was Musk’s bodyguard who “struck” him with his vehicle, and that the “stalker” called police to the scene, according to law enforcement officials.
The “stalker,” who was later identified as Uber Eats driver Brandon Collado, alleged that he drove off the freeway and stopped to use his phone in a parking lot when someone from Musk’s security team pulled up directly in front of him and blocked his path, according to police.
When police arrived, Musk’s bodyguard had fled.
“On Thursday, December 15, 2022, South Pasadena Police learned the suspect involved in this case is believed to be a member of Elon Musk’s security team,” the police statement said.
“Detectives do not believe Mr. Musk was present during the confrontation.”
The incident and Musk’s subsequent tweet set off a chain of events that included the new Twitter CEO banning several left-leaning journalists who have been critical of his stewardship of the company.
Musk alleged that the reporters who had their accounts temporarily suspended had posted real-time information about the whereabouts of his family — which Musk termed “assassination coordinates.” The journalists’ accounts were restored following a backlash.
Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion with his stated aim of allowing unfettered speech on the site.
He has reinstated controversial accounts of those who were banned by the company’s previous management, including former President Donald Trump, author Jordan Peterson, satirical news site the Babylon Bee and others.