Passengers jump from taxiing plane

Witnesses report man and his companion opened emergency exit door and leapt out onto runway

A Florida man with an apparent fear of flying flung open the emergency exit door and hopped off a plane taxiing the runway — and the woman traveling with him jumped too, authorities said.

The incident involving Antonio Murdock, companion Brianna Greco, and a Great Dane puppy named Rain, took place Monday on a flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Atlanta, said Delta airline spokesperson Morgan Durrant.

Witnesses reported seeing a panicky Murdock force open a cabin door and jump out using the emergency chute while holding the dog in his arms. Greco followed suit.

Security video captured the couple using the chute, according to court documents.

Passenger Brian Plummer told The New York Times that the pair changed seats several times, then Murdock stood up and ignored a flight attendant’s order to take a seat for takeoff.

“If I sit down, I’ll freak out,” Plummer said he heard Murdock say.

It was then, witnesses said, that Murdock made a beeline to the emergency exit, from which he made his unusual departure from the slow-moving plane.

Murdock, 31, and Greco, 27, of Lake Worth Beach, were taken into custody on charges including criminal mischief and trespassing.

The aircraft was forced to return to the gate and the remaining passengers were later put on alternate flights.

Murdock spoke with the press after his arraignment in a New York courtroom Tuesday, saying that his behavior was triggered by the onset of a panic attack, according to the New York Post.

“I asked them three or four times to let me off,” he said. “They said they were stopping the plane and they never stopped the plane, and I got to the point where I was just feeling dizzy. I didn’t even know there was a slot to go down the slide. I just thought it was a regular door.”

Both Murdock and Greco were released Tuesday. As for Rain, the unsuspecting pup was turned over to an animal shelter.

A message was left with an attorney for Murdock.