A passenger who panicked moments before his flight took off from a New York airport opened the emergency door of the plane and used the slide to go out with his partner and the pet they were carrying, a Great Dane dog, which was picked up by local media on Tuesday.
The spectacular incident took place on Monday, when a couple from Florida, Antonio Murdock and Brianna Greco, were on board a Delta Air Lines plane that was to take off from LaGuardia Airport, which serves New York, bound for Atlanta.
Apparently, a panicked Murdock opened the emergency door in the front cabin, activated the emergency slide opening system and jumped with his wife and dog, NBC6 South Florida reported.
Morgan Durrant, a company spokesman, explained that after the event, the device had to be returned to the boarding gate, and the passengers were transferred and accommodated on other flights.
According to witnesses, the couple had changed seats several times until a flight attendant ordered them to remain seated for the plane to take off. Then Murdock got up and, very upset, told the assistant that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Murdock, 31, and Greco, 27, were arrested at the airport and later charged. The woman was fined and the dog was handed over to an animal shelter.