We’ve all heard about weird resignation stories, but I think this one ranks up there with the best.
JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater after having a dispute with a passenger who began retrieving his luggage too early, took control of the plane’s intercom letting loose a string of expletives while announcing his resignation (“It’s been great”) and exited via the emergency evacuation slide, grabbing a beer along the way.
Per the NY Daily News:
After he was bonked in the head by a bag, Steven Slater stunned passengers by spewing profanity and ranting about quitting as the flight from Pittsburgh pulled up to the gate around noon.
“To the f—ing a–hole who told me to f— off, it’s been a good 28 years,” Slater, 38, purred, cops said.
“I’ve had it. That’s it,” he added, according to a passenger on board.
While this incident will strike most as amusing, Mr. Slater evidently was under a great deal of stress in his personal life.
From the New York Times:
A former roommate, John Rochelle, said Mr. Slater was seldom home. When Mr. Slater was not working, Mr. Rochelle said, he was usually in Thousand Oaks, Calif., a Los Angeles suburb, caring for his sick mother.
A neighbor there, Ron Franz, said Mr. Slater also cared for his father as he was dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mr. Franz, 72, was hard-pressed to explain Mr. Slater’s actions on Monday. “It could be the pressure of his mother’s illness, because that’s not the type of behavior or conduct that Steve exhibits,” he said. “He’s a very conscientious, responsible individual.”
Even so, Mr. Slater’s actions, while spontaneous, were extremely irresponsible and he will be facing criminal felony charges including criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
We’ll just have to see how this one plays out.
[via Laughing Squid]