The Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down the engine of a plane full of passengers reportedly suffered a “mental breakdown” in the air and was known by distraught neighbors as a loving father and devoted husband.
Joseph Emerson, 44, was off-duty in the cockpit jump seat of a Washington-to-San Francisco flight Sunday when he allegedly jumped for the controls and tried to activate the plane’s fire suppression system — a move that would have cut fuel to the engines and eventually crashed the plane. it fell to the ground.
The flight’s captain and first officer managed to detain Emerson, and then made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, where the flight crew informed the 83 passengers on board what had just happened.
“The flight attendant came back over the loudspeaker and said, clearly and simply, ‘He has a mental breakdown. We need to get him off the plane immediately,’” passenger Aubrey Gavello told ABC News.
Alaska Airlines confirmed the incident, saying the plane never lost power and all passengers and crew landed safely.
Flight crew told passengers Emerson suffered a “mental breakdown” during the flight on SundayJoseph Emerson/Facebook
Emerson was arrested upon landing and hit with multiple charges, including 83 counts of attempted murder.
In his Pleasant Hill community outside San Francisco, neighbors of the married father of two were shocked by the news.
“It’s really shocking, disturbing news,” next-door neighbor Karen Yee told the Daily Mail.
“They are very good neighbors. He is a great father. He plays with children all the time. He is very friendly. He’s just a great guy.
“We have a son with special needs, and he’s been very good to him,” Yee said. “We can’t imagine him doing anything to hurt someone.”
Joseph Emerson had two children with his wife, Sarah Stretch. The couple lives in Pleasant Hills, California.Joseph Emerson/Facebook
Another neighbor, older Air Force veteran Lou Rossi, said he and Emerson often talked about airplanes and jet engines.
“All I can do is vouch for his character,” Rossi said. “I have helped him do things around his house. He does a lot with his children. I cannot say a single word that would insult him at all.”
“I watch the news all the time, and I see things happening in neighborhoods where people say they can’t believe someone would do something like this.”
“All I can tell you is that he is a very good man, and his wife, Sarah, is a very good woman, and they have never, even remotely made me think negatively about them,” he said.
Neighbors of Emerson and Stretch said the family seemed very happy and loving parents.
Emerson’s wife, Sarah Stretch, could not be reached when contacted by The Post.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Emerson faces an additional 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person, and one count of endangering an aircraft in the first degree, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
The flight took off from Everette, Washington, around 5:30 p.m., and made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport in Oregon about an hour later.
The plane was cruising at about 35,000 feet, flight data showed.
Emerson is being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, where he is awaiting trial.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
