NEW YORK — A New York man whose memorable exit from his flight-attendant job made him a working-class hero pleaded guilty Tuesday to criminal mischief and agreed to undergo counseling.
“While the public interest was surprising, at the end of the day, I am a grown-up and must take responsibility,” Steven Slater said outside court in Queens.
Slater, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal mischief, one count a felony. A prison sentence of one to three years will be suspended while he completes a mental-health program.
On Aug. 9, Slater cursed out a passenger on a JetBlue flight that had landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport before sliding down the emergency-exit chute he deployed. First reports of the incident stated that Slater grabbed two beers from the plane’s galley before pulling the emergency-exit handle.
After his dramatic exit, police arrested Slater at his Queens home.
Slater became a symbol for stressed-out workers. His attorney has said the passenger’s “lack of civility” prompted Slater’s behavior.
He had been charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and criminal trespass and was free on a $2,500 bond.
A review by mental-health evaluators concluded Slater suffered from depression, which made him eligible for mental-health court.
