Two people and dog slide out of moving plane at New York's LaGuardia airport

Passengers on a plane about to take off from New York’s LaGuardia airport were stunned when two fellow travelers suddenly opened an emergency exit and slid down to the tarmac, taking their dog with them.

The bizarre incident, detailed in the New York Times, resulted in a delay to the flight and the arrest of Antonio Murdock, 31, and Brianna Greco, 27, on charges including criminal mischief and trespassing.

The Times reported that the couple boarded the plane but then switched seats several times as they became agitated.

“As flight 462 began to taxi out to a runway, the man stood up, ignoring a flight attendant’s order to sit, saying that he had post-traumatic stress disorder,” the Times described a witness as saying.

The plane then shuddered to a halt.

“The man had forced open a cabin door, activating an emergency slide, and then he, his female companion and their dog slid their way out of the plane,” the paper reported. The exiting passengers were quickly taken into custody.

Authorities said Murdock was awaiting arraignment while Greco was released on a desk appearance ticket. Their dog, a great Dane puppy, was given to an animal shelter.

Sudden exits from aircraft are not unknown.

The most famous recent incident occurred when JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater pulled the emergency chute on a flight 2010, after the plane landed at JFK airport in New York. He went on to the public address system, swore at a passenger who he claimed treated him rudely, helped himself to a beer and slid down on to the tarmac.

Slater’s dramatic exit made him a viral hero to put-upon workers everywhere, who may have dreamed about quitting their jobs in a blaze of glory.

source: theguardian.com