Titanic sub billionaire’s stepson arrested in 2021 Las Vegas concert threat

The stepson of a British billionaire who died aboard the doomed Titan submersible was arrested in 2021 after making social media threats against a Las Vegas-area woman who was attending the first-ever concert at Allegiant Stadium.

Brian Szasz, 37, who has been going viral amid the saga of the Titanic-bound submarine, served about two years in prison after police in Escondido, California, a city just north of San Diego, arrested him on June 29, 2021, on a stalking charge.

“I can tell you that the person who is posting on social media is the same person that I arrested and interviewed back in 2021,” said Escondido Police Lt. Erik Witholt on Friday.

The arrest also made news in Las Vegas, although at the time, Szasz wasn’t identified by name.

The Metropolitan Police Department announced on June 30, 2021, that a man had been arrested in California in connection with social media threats made against social media users who would be going to the July 3, 2021, Illenium concert at Allegiant Stadium.

“It was a collaborative effort between us and Vegas,” Withold said.

Both Illenium and Excision are electronic dance music artists. Illenium, who spoke excitedly about the show to the Review-Journal in the days before the concert, was the first artist to perform at the stadium.

He posted a tweet at the time saying he was aware of the situation.

“Yes, my team and I are aware of the situation and are working with authorities and the stadium on it,” the tweet said. “My #1 priority at any of my shows is for fans to feel safe. We take all threats seriously and anyone making them will be reported to police and not allowed into the venue.”

After the Titan was determined on Thursday to have suffered what authorities described as a “catastrophic implosion,” all five passengers aboard were presumed dead, including Szasz’s stepfather Hamish Harding.

As the attention on the submarine reached a fever pitch this past week, Szasz, who from his social media presence appears to live in the San Diego area, came under scrutiny as social media users, including rapper Cardi B, criticized him for posting about attending a Blink 182 concert.

Other social media users also pointed out that he had been arrested in connection with the concert threats.

Witholt confirmed Friday that Szasz was the person behind those threats.

Szasz was initially sentenced to four years, but was released early, something that Szasz had also posted about on social media earlier this year when he got out.

Szasz didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment, but in his social media posts, he has described the submersible situation as a “nightmare” and has said that music helps him cope with tough times.

“Hamish my stepdad is lost in a submarine thoughts and prayers that the rescue mission will be successful,” Szasz posted on Facebook on June 19.

Witholt said the threats were made by Szasz against a Las Vegas-area woman in the days before she would be attending the Illenium concert. Witholt said Szasz and the victim both liked an EDM artist named Alison Wonderland. At some point, Szasz’s began to issue threats of harm against the victim.

The threats weren’t necessarily against the concert or the venue, Witholt said, but against the woman who would be attending the concert. Witholt was asked if police ever believed there would be a potential threat to other concertgoers or just the concert itself.

“Potential? Yes,” Withold said. “Probable? Credible? Definitely? I can’t say that for sure.”

San Diego Superior Court records show that Szasz has five criminal cases, including the 2021 stalking case, since 2009. Details of those other cases weren’t immediately available, but Witholt said Szasz has a prior conviction on a charge of criminal threats.

Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com. Photo intern Madeline Carter contributed to this story.