Couple with pet dog flee moving Delta plane using emergency slide as flight prepares for takeoff in New York

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A plane preparing for takeoff was halted in New York after a couple with their pet dog fled via an emergency slide.

The incident took place on board a Delta flight heading to Atlanta as it was rolling towards the runway at LaGuardia Airport.

Witnesses told how an agitated-looking passenger forced open the front cabin door before leaping out using the emergency chute. He was quickly followed by a woman who was carrying a Great Dane puppy.

The couple were taken into custody on charges including criminal mischief and trespassing, among others. The dog was turned over to an animal shelter.

Passenger Brian Plummer told The New York Times that before they exited the plane, the pair had changed seats several times on a flight that was not full.

The man finally stood up and ignored a flight attendant's order to take a seat for take-off, telling the attendant he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, Mr Plummer added.

"If I sit down, I'll freak out," the man said, according to Mr Plummer.

The aircraft was forced to return to the gate where the remaining customers got off and were later put on other flights.

The incident recalled the 2010 case of Steven Slater, a JetBlue flight attendant who activated a chute during a tantrum on a plane landing at Kennedy Airport.

He went on the public address system, swore at a passenger who he claimed treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and slid down on to the tarmac.

Slater was sentenced to a year of probation after completing a court-ordered treatment programme.

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