A Delta Air Lines passenger accused of criminal malice and reckless risk claims he was suffering from a panic attack when he opened the emergency exit to escape the plane before LaGuardia airport took off on Monday.
Antonio Murdock, who left the aircraft with girlfriend Brianna Greco and his dog Rain, made the comments Tuesday in front of the Queens Criminal Court, the New York Post reported.
“It was a panic attack,” said Murdock, adding that he suffers from mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. “I asked three or four times to let me out. They said they were going to stop the plane and they never stopped it, and I got to the point where I was feeling dizzy.”
Murdock, 31, and Greco, 23, both from Florida, were originally scheduled to travel to Atlanta on Monday’s flight before jumping on the emergency slide with their pet as the plane prepared to take off. An alleged witness aboard the flight told The New York Times that Murdock refused to remain seated during takeoff, saying he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Murdock was later arrested and charged with criminal fraud in the second degree, reckless dangerousness in the second degree and criminal invasion in the third degree, according to Port Authority spokesman Lenis Valens. Greco was accused only of criminal invasion in the third degree.
The service dog was taken to the Brooklyn Animal Care Center, and a receipt was given to Greco to rescue the animal.
Authorities say Murdock’s unplanned departure also caused more than $ 170,000 in damage to the Airbus A21 aircraft.
Officials say Antonio Murdock’s actions caused more than $ 170,000 in damage to the Airbus A21 aircraft (not pictured).
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The rest of the passengers on board flight 462 “disembarked normally and were accommodated on alternative flights,” a Delta spokesman confirmed to Fox News.
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“I don’t know what I was thinking at the time,” said Murdock outside the Queens Criminal Court, by Post. “I was not committing a criminal act.”
The man was released without bail.
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Fox News’ Cortney Moore contributed to this report.