(CNN) – One of the two passengers who left a Delta flight with their dog, while the plane went down on a runway, felt that he had to leave or that he would lose control, according to statements during a notification on Tuesday.
Antonio Murdock, 31, and Brianna Greco, 23, of Florida, face third-degree felony charges, according to Lenis Valens, a New York Port Authority spokeswoman and New Jersey.
Murdock was additionally charged with second-degree criminal malice and reckless second-degree threats, Valens said.
During Murdock’s action at the New York Criminal Court in Queens, authorities said that a flight attendant who was on the plane during the incident told them that he noticed a male and female passenger walking through the plane.
According to the flight attendant’s statement, she heard the male passenger, identified by the authorities as Murdock, essentially say, “I have to get off the plane, I don’t want to stay here, I’ll open the door.”
Murdock then allegedly passed the flight attendant and opened a door marked “emergency exit”, which caused the attached slide to unfold and swell. The man then took his dog and went out using the slide, according to the statement.
The passenger, identified as Greco during the notification, allegedly followed Murdock on the slide. The couple and the dog then left the plane on the runway.
Subsequently, the authorities detained them in a restricted area of the taxiway, as mentioned during the notification.
The flight attendant informed the authorities that there was no situation on the plane that required Murdock to open the emergency door, according to the notification procedures.
Jubril Oladiran, a lawyer for Murdock, did not comment to CNN when contacted. CNN is trying to reach Greco for comments and it is not clear if he has legal representation.
Casey Johnson, a Manhattan resident who flies home to his family in Panama City Beach, Florida, told CNN that he changed places with the couple and their dog at the gate.
Johnson said that the couple is pleasant and that nothing seemed out of the ordinary during their interaction.
He called the man, identified by authorities as Murdock, “gentle speaking.”
Murdock asked to change ranks with Johnson, he said, so he could have the last ship on the plane to house his dog.
The plane was mostly full, except for the middle seats left open under the Delta Covid-19 policy. Minutes later, however, the couple went ahead a few more times, Johnson said.
“In fact, I remember thinking, ‘Well, you just asked me to change lines with you because you wanted to be in the back, and now you’ve suddenly decided you want to be ahead.’ he said.
Johnson, who was wearing headphones as the plane approached the tarmac, later noticed agitation.
“And the next thing I know, I look up as we move and I just see … I see a lot of people standing and I see four people running towards the front of the plane. And at this point they must have been passengers running to try, like, to stop the person, “Johnson said, noting that he did not witness the pair and the dog as they jumped off the plane, but saw that the emergency exit from the front of the cockpit was open.
Johnson said the pilot told passengers over the cockpit speakers that the slide had been unfolded and that the door had been opened, but did not say the passengers had fled.
Johnson said the plane sat on the tarmac for more than an hour before returning to the gate.
After Murdock and Greco got off the plane, the aircraft returned to the gate and downgraded customers normally, Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said.
The airline managed to accommodate the remaining passengers on alternative flights, he said.
“Maintenance technicians have evaluated the aircraft and it is scheduled to return to service tonight,” Durrant said. He said Delta could not comment further.
Murdock is set to return on February 9 and Greco is due to appear on March 21, the Queens district attorney said.
Valens, a spokesman for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, said the dog accompanying the two was taken to an animal shelter in Brooklyn.
Greco received a receipt for the dog’s recovery, Valens said.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident and the arrests and addressed additional questions to Delta and local authorities.
CNN’s Ganesh Setty, Laura Ly, Hollie Silverman and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.