NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia man traveling with his daughter and her friend was profiled as a possible human trafficker by Southwest Airlines and Norfolk International Airport police as he returned home early last week. John Kerrigan, of Virginia Beach, was flying with his daughter, 15, and her 16-year-old friend aboard Southwest Flight 4345 from Denver, on the final leg of their Oct. 21 trip back from Las Vegas. The flight lasted about three and a half hours, and when Kerrigan went to the restroom, the flight attendant asked the girls some peculiar questions. "'She keeps asking if we're alright and if we know you,'" Kerrigan remembered his daughter telling him. "And I said it seemed strange." An airport spokesman confirmed Wednesday that Southwest called airport police during the flight, for suspicion of human trafficking, and that Kerrigan was their person of interest. One dead, one hurt in crash after SUV tries to pass 18-wheeler, officials say The plane arrived at the gate in Norfolk, but the passengers were told to remain seated. Then three airport officers got on and walked to the rear row, toward Kerrigan and the girls. "[They said], 'Sir, would you follow us? We'd like to ask you some questions,'" Kerrigan said. He was then led off the plane past all the other passengers. "I said, 'This is offensive.' I did find it very offensive. I mean, I hadn't done anything wrong," Kerrigan said. The officers questioned Kerrigan for about 20 minutes but didn't detain or charge him, and ultimately let him go. A program by the Department of Homeland Security was the likely spark for the whole affair. The Blue Lightning Initiative, which lists possible indicators of human trafficking, is encouraged for use "by airports, airlines, and aviation staff." Kerrigan agrees with the Blue Lightning Initiative's mission and wants to see human trafficking stop, but he thinks last week's incident could have been handled better. "That was just a horrible way to go about it," he said. "We all would like for them to catch child traffickers. That's a worthy goal. But to humiliate somebody?" A Southwest spokesman said Wednesday afternoon that flight crews are trained to recognize the warning signs of human trafficking. He could not comment on specifics of Kerrigan's case and said Southwest had no record of his complaint. Nexstar's WAVY forwarded two complaint confirmation numbers and Southwest said it would work to resolve Kerrigan's issue. Latest News Here's what to know about parking, dates for the Harvest Festival on False River Former Disney World employee accused of hacking menus to add profanity, alter allergen info Things to know before visiting Susan B. Anthony's grave on Election Day Big Game Bound: Payton picks the Week 9 winners Why this Yankees outfielder is a 2024 World Series champion, even though his team lost