(CNN) – One of the two passengers who jumped off a Delta flight with his dog when the plane pulled into a runway felt he had to leave or he would lose control, according to statements during an arraignment Tuesday.
The two passengers and the dog were on board a flight to Atlanta at New York’s LaGuardia airport on Monday, when at least one of the passengers opened the cabin door and activated the slider to exit the plane shortly before the flight. pull out.
Antonio Murdock, 31, and Brianna Greco, 23, of Florida, are facing third-degree allegations of violations, according to Lenis Valens, a spokesman for New York and New Jersey port authorities.
LEE: 2 passengers open the Delta cockpit door and exit the moving plane with a dog
Murdock was also charged with second-degree property damage and recklessly endangering others, Valens said.
During the arraignment of Murdock in New York City Criminal Court in Queens on Tuesday, authorities said a flight attendant who was on the plane during the incident said she had seen a male and female passenger walking through the plane. .
According to the flight attendant’s statement, she overheard the passenger, identified by authorities as Murdock, essentially say, “I need to get off the plane, I don’t want to sit here, I’m going to open the door.”
Murdock then reportedly pushed the flight attendant and opened a door labeled “emergency exit,” causing the attached slide to unfold and inflate. The man then picked up his dog and, according to the statement, went off using the slide.
The passenger, identified as Greco at the arraignment, is said to have followed Murdock down the slide. The couple and the dog walked away from the plane and onto the taxiway.
The authorities then detained them in a restricted taxiway area, as indicated during the arraignment.
The flight attendant informed the authorities that there was no situation on the plane where Murdock had to open the emergency door, according to the pre-empted procedures.
Jubril Oladiran, Murdock’s attorney, did not comment on CNN when he reached out. CNN is trying to reach Greco for comment, and it is unclear if he has legal representation.
LOOK: Watch the moment when an iPhone is shot out of an airplane window
Casey Johnson, a Manhattan resident who flew to Panama City Beach, Florida with his family, told CNN that he switched seats with the couple and their dog at the door.
Johnson said the couple were handsome and didn’t find anything special during their interaction.
He called the man, identified by authorities as Murdock, “soft-spoken.”
Murdock asked to switch leashes with Johnson, he said, so they could have the last aisle of the plane to house their dog.
The plane was nearly full, except for the middle seats left open under Delta’s Covid-19 policy. However, minutes later, the pair pushed back several rows, Johnson said.
“I actually remember thinking, ‘Well, you asked me to change seats with you because you wanted to sit in the back, and now you suddenly decided you wanted to be in the front,’” she said.
Johnson, who wore headphones when the plane rolled onto the runway, later noticed commotion.
‘And before I know it, I look up as we move and I see … I see a lot of people standing and I see like four people running to the front of the plane. And in this they point out that it must have been passengers running to stop the person, ”said Johnson. He noted that he did not see the couple and the dog as they jumped out of the plane, but he did see the emergency exit at the front of the aircraft near the cockpit was open.
Johnson said the pilot told the passengers through the cockpit speakers that the slide had unfolded and the door was open, but did not say the passengers had fled.
Johnson said the plane stayed on the runway for more than an hour before returning to the gate.
After Murdock and Greco exited the plane, the plane returned to the gate and customers disembarked normally, Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said.
The airline was able 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,” said Durrant. He said Delta could not comment further.
Murdock will return to court on February 9 and Greco will appear in court on March 21, the Queens District Attorney’s office said.
Valens, a spokesman for New York and New Jersey port authorities, said the dog accompanying them had been taken to a Brooklyn animal shelter.
Greco was given a receipt to pick up the dog, Valens said.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident and the arrests and referred additional questions to Delta and local authorities.
Ganesh Setty, Laura Ly, Hollie Silverman and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.