Two passengers and a dog exit moving Delta plane on emergency slide, officials say

A Delta flight was taxiing to the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York Monday morning when, officials say, events took a turn for the bizarre.

Brian Plummer was on the Atlanta-bound flight when he said he felt the plane come to a halt while taxiing, the New York Times reported.

A Delta spokesperson told CNN a man and woman opened the cabin door while the plane was moving, activating the aircraft’s emergency slide.

The pair then slid out of the plane and are believed to have taken a service dog down the slide with them, WABC reported.

Plummer told the Times he’d previously seen a man, a woman and a large service dog on the plane and that they had changed seats several times, according to the newspaper. Plummer also said the man stood up as the flight was taxiing then told a flight attendant he had post-traumatic stress disorder when he was ordered to sit down, the Times reported.

Following the incident, the plane taxiied back to the gate and all passengers were deplaned and booked on other flights, WABC reported.

“Maintenance technicians have evaluated the aircraft and is scheduled to return to service this evening,” the spokesperson told CNN.

A spokesperson for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey identified the passengers as Antonio Murdock, 31, and Brianna Greco, 23, USA Today reported. Both were arrested.

Murdock’s charges include criminal mischief, a second-degree felony; second-degree reckless endangerment; and third-degree criminal trespass, according to the outlet. Greco was arrest on a third-degree criminal trespass charge, USA Today reported.

This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 8:37 AM with the headline "Two passengers and a dog exit moving Delta plane on emergency slide, officials say."