A flight attendant upset after an altercation with a passenger bolted from a just-arrived aircraft in New York by deploying and sliding down the inflatable emergency chute, police said.
Jetblue flight attendant Steven Slater was arrested at his home in the New York borough of Queens after fleeing from John F Kennedy International Airport yesterday.
Mr Slater had reportedly quarrelled with a passenger fiddling with his luggage after landing but before the Embraer 190 arriving from Pittsburgh had come to a complete stop.
The New York Daily News reported he took over the intercom and called the passenger a 12-letter epithet beginning with "m" and then told everyone: "I've been in the business 28 years. I've had it. That's it."
Mr Slater then grabbed at least one beer, activated the slide, shot down it and ran to his car.
JetBlue said it was working with the Federal Aviation Administration and Port Authority police to investigate the incident and said the safety of its customers and crew members was never at risk.
Mr Slater is likely to be charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, a spokesman for the Port Authority police said.
Several Facebook pages were set up in tribute to Mr Slater, with many users expressing support for him for walking off the job.
Reuters/PA