Facts: On August 9, 2010, According to passenger reports, Defendant, Steven Slater, a veteran flight
attendant with Jet Blue Airways, instigated a verbal confrontation with a passenger, during pre-take
off. The jurisdiction was in Queens County, NY. The verbal argument may have escalated into a physical
one, although video evidence shows that the physical contact made by the passenger towards Mr.
Slater was most likely accidental. When Mr. Slater was touched, however, he began a very unique
process of quitting his job. First, he made an obscene announcement on the airplane loudspeaker,
then he grabbed a beer, opened the airplane door, and popped out the air slide, and slid down to the tarmac below. He was later charged by Queens County, NY, for First Degree Reckless Endangerment and Second Degree Criminal Mischief. There were no people on the ground, when the slide was released. Jet Blue insists that the damages were intentional, and dangerous, hence the reason Mr. Slater was charged with Criminal Mischief and Reckless Endangerment.

Law: *Reckless Endangerment New York S 120.25 Reckless endangerment in the first degree.
A person is guilty of reckless endangerment in the first degree when, under circumstances
evincing a depraved indifference to human life, he recklessly engages in conduct which creates
a grave risk of death to another person. Reckless endangerment in the first degree is a class D
felony.

*New York Penal Law S 145.10 Criminal mischief in the second degree. A person is guilty of
criminal mischief in the second degree when with intent to damage property of another person,
and having no right to do so nor any reasonable ground to believe that he has such right, he
damages property of another person in an amount exceeding one thousand five hundred
dollars. Criminal mischief in the second degree is a class D felony.

*People v. Galatro, 84 N.Y.2d 160 (1994)- Reckless Endangerment an impossibility, due to there being no people on the ground who could have been hurt

*Steven Slater was released on bond, and his next appearance in court is scheduled for September 7, 2010.  Now there's talk of him getting his own reality show.  What???

Analysis: Mr. Slater may have had an anxiety attack of some kind, while having a confrontation with the passenger. Also, there was no ground crew on the tarmac, to be hurt by the air slide bursting out. However, it is plain to see that the defendant, Steven Slater, over-reacted to the situation he was faced with. Did he intentionally cause the airline damages, or put people in danger? I doubt it. 

Advice: Hey guys, don’t get me wrong- I have had my share of crummy jobs and bosses, myself. I have walked away from several employers with tears streaming down my face, for one reason or another.

Customers can be mean, bosses and co-workers can give you as hard of a time at work as they are humanly capable of.. Yes I get that. Still.. It doesn’t prove anything or help you out in any way, by doing something completely nuts, and potentially dangerous.  It really doesn’t affect
the company that much, in the grand scheme of things. Generally, jobs that people hate being at, are jobs that most people would hate.  Still, give it your best shot, those jobs are almost a 'right of passage'. 

To take a flying leap off of an airplane, onto the emergency slider exit, grabbing a beer on the way,
just to say goodbye?  That's a bit much.

So take a deep breath, and a step back, before reacting, the next time you are faced with a problem that is about to send you over the edge. In the words of Donald Trump: "I think as an employee he's (Slater) horrible, and as an employer I would really go after him big league. He had a bad day… I don't think that's a hero."   And in the words of Warren Buffet: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and only five minutes to ruin it.”