Passengers Open Plane Door Before Takeoff, Escape via Emergency Slide

Two passengers and their service dog reportedly opened the door of their plane just before takeoff and exited via an emergency slide at a New York City airport on Monday.

According to The New York Times, another passenger on the Delta Air Lines Airbus A321 said it was taxiing to the runway at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport for a flight to Atlanta when a man and a woman with a service dog began switching seats.

A flight attendant warned the man to sit down, but he ignored her calls before opening an emergency door, which deployed the plane’s inflatable emergency slide. The aircraft came to a sudden stop and the other passengers were alerted to the situation.

The man and woman then took their dog and slid down the emergency slide.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the couple was held by Delta employees until police officers arrived at the scene and the pair was taken into custody. No official charges had been filed as of Monday night.

The surprise emergency exit caused a delay of several hours as maintenance crews evaluated the plane and passengers were accommodated on alternate flights. No other service to or from the New York airport was disrupted.