. >> reporter: tonight, alaska airlines pilot joseph david emerson looking emotional, appearing beforetempted murder charges for trying to crash a passenger jet. >> enter a not guilty plea on all counts -- >> reporter: he allegedly told investigators he'd taken psychedelic mushrooms for the first time 48 hours before the incident and thought he was having a nervous breakdown after going without sleep for 40 hours. authorities say emerson was off duty, hitching a ride in the cockpit's jump seat sunday. the on-duty pilots telling police emerson engaged in casual conversation, but then midflight, he threw his headset across the cockpit and announced, "i am not okay." then reaching up and grabbing the red fire handles and pulling them down. a pilot physically engaged with emerson for 25 to 30 seconds. had emerson pulled the handles all the way down, the plane would have turned into a glider within seconds. emerson calming down and exiting the cockpit, allegedly telling the flight attendant, "you need to cuff me right now or it's going to be bad." emerson, a father with an up blemished flyi

the suspect, the off duty alaska pilot, 44 year old joseph david emerson, actually lives in this pleasant hill neighborhood. he's facing 83 counts of attempted murder. here's audio of the crew talking to air traffic control after he was brought under control. >> okay. just give you a heads up. we've got the guy that tried to shut the engine down out of the cockpit. um, and he doesn't sound like he's causing any issue in the back right now. i think he's subdued. yeah, we one law enforcement, as soon as we get on the ground and parked. >> joining us live now to talk about the issues raised by this frightening incident are abc news aviation analyst john nance. john, good to see you. >> good to see you, krista. >> there are so many angles to this story. off duty pilots riding in the cockpit and mental health assessments of pilots security protocol. but let's start here with your understanding of what this off duty pilot actually tried to do. well it is preliminary. >> we have just a sketchy amount of information that that you played from the flight crew. et cetera. but some place in mid-fligh

dan now oregon authorities have identified that pilot as 44 year old joseph david emerson. emerson is originally from washington state but currently resides in the east bay. he works for alaska airlines, which owns horizon air and is why he was authorized to sit in the cockpit in the flight deck, jump seat with joseph david emerson now in custody. more details are beginning to emerge about the man who allegedly tried to turn the engines off. a plane flying from seattle to san francisco. records reviewed by the abc seven news i-team show that emerson has lived in contra costa county since 2008 and has no criminal record, tax liens or divorce proceedings. he has a wife who teaches at peralta community college, as well as two young children. neighbors near his home in pleasant hill tell us emerson was always kind towards them. they say they were shocked to hear the news. >> he's never had a negative statement about his job or anything like that. so yeah, he's very understanding and well of other people. >> and, you know, we have a grandson with special needs and he's very good

. >> that off duty pilot has now been identified as 44 year old joseph david emerson from pleasant hill. we're not showing his photo because he has not been charged in court yet. he works for alaska airlines, which owns horizon air, which is why he was authorized to sit in the cockpit in the flight deck jump seat while it's still not entirely clear what happened, alaska airlines says emerson attempted to shut off the engines by pulling the fire extinguisher handles of the engines. >> now, fortunately, the captain and first officer responded quickly. the plane was then able to safely land in portland with no one injured. here's a recording of the exchange on board between the pilot and air traffic controllers shortly after emerson was subdued by the flight crew and handcuffed to a seat. >> okay, i just give you a heads up. we've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit. um and he doesn't sound like he's causing any issue in the back right now. i think he's subdued. yeah, we one law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and park horizon 2059 turn right head

dan now oregon authorities have identified that pilot as 44 year old joseph david emerson.on is originally from washington state but currently resides in the east bay. he works for alaska airlines, which owns horizon air and is why he was authorized to sit in the cockpit in the flight deck, jump seat with joseph david emerson now in custody. more details are beginning to emerge about the man who allegedly tried to turn the engines off. a plane flying from seattle to san francisco. records reviewed by the abc seven news i-team show that emerson has lived in contra costa county since 2008 and has no criminal record, tax liens or divorce proceedings. he has a wife who teaches at peralta community college, as well as two young children. neighbors near his home in pleasant hill tell us emerson was always kind towards them. they say they were shocked to hear the news. >> he's never had a negative statement about his job or anything like that. so yeah, he's very understanding and well of other people. >> and, you know, we have a grandson with special needs and he's very good to hi

that pilot is 44 years old named joseph david emerson. and now he's in custody and charged with 83 counts, including attempted murder, cause of this. it was a horizon air operating alaska airlines flight 2059 and it was flying from everett, washington to san francisco when it had to be diverted because of what happened inside the cockpit on this was on sunday. so what happened was they said, and this is a quote from the airline, the jump seat occupant unsuccessfully, attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines. the statement goes on to say the horizon captain and the first officer there were able to handle the situation held that person and they asked for the for the landing and portland, which they did. and that's where law enforcement greeted them and nobody was hurt in all those passengers were able to get to san francisco on a different flight. 10. 31 is the time right now. and in the south bay, san jose mayor matt mahan gave his first state of the city address. the mayor spoke on efforts to keep the community safe, including hi

joseph emerson is accused of tampering with the plane's controls. ktvu brooks jarocz has more tonight on the pilot's background. it seems you're typical, normal guy. neighbors describe joseph david emerson as a family man who loves his wife and two children. he's a very good dad. as far as i could tell. he's always playing with the kids, always doing things for him, taking him places. he also liked to take flight as a commercial pilot for alaska airlines. neighbors say every time we go to seattle, we were like, that could be our neighbor driving us, writing us, their pilots, us there. but when heard the news, i'm like, what? it's near seattle, where a horizon flight took a turn on sunday. never reaching san francisco. emerson was in the jump seat behind the pilots accused of trying to shut the engines down mid-flight with dozens of passengers on board. it just is very surprising. the plane landed safely in portland. emerson is now facing 83 attempted murder charges and others for reckless endangerment. it's scary. you hope that people are vetted. the california pilots association says any off duty pilots using the jump seat are extensively vetted outside emerson's home, a sign r

. >> we're learning more about the suspect now, joseph david emerson. we're not showing his photograph because he has not yet been formally charged. abc seven news i-team reporter dan noyes is here with more on emerson's background and what he's been able to find out today dan? >> well, dan and kristen, when i check into cases like this, sometimes what you don't find is most important. >> there are virtually no warning signs that lead to that close call in the cockpit. joseph david emerson is 44 years old. the jail booking sheet says he's six foot one, 210 pounds and that he was arrested by the port of portland police at 411 this morning. a comprehend live records search shows no criminal record, no tax liens, no divorce proceedings. he was born in washington state and moved to contra costa county in 2008. he became a pilot for alaska airlines in april 2016. he has a wife who teaches at peralta community college and two young sons. he owns his home in pleasant hill today, neighbors were struggling to make sense of what happened. >> he's never had a negat

the off duty pilot later identified by authorities as 44 year old captain joseph david emerson of pleasant hill, handcuffed in the back of the plane on board at the time, 80 passenger others, including jessica verrilli of san francisco and her two kids, unaware of what had just taken place. later posting to quote now knowing this all and seeing the details, i'm kind of just in shock. the flight attendants and pilots did an incredible job. the flight operated by alaska airlines subsidiary horizon air diverted to portland international airport. yeah, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked. emerson quickly arrested alaska airlines, later crediting its crews. quick response with stopping him from fully activating the plane's fire suppression system designed to shut down the engines. the airline posting in a statement, quote, our crew responded without hesitation to a difficult and highly unusual situation. and we are incredibly proud and grateful for their skillful actions and among the charges that emerson is now being held on, 83 counts of attempted murder and rec

he has since been identified as 44 year-old joseph david emerson, residents of pleasant hill at this point, we don't know his motive for allegedly trying to turn off the engines, but he's now facing 83 counts of attempted murder along with reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft. now the passengers on that flight were allowed to board a later flight from portland to here at sfo. alaska airlines released a statement on monday saying they're cooperating with investigations. >> by the fbi and the portland police department. but for now at sfo, charles clifford kron, 4 news. >> now this happened on a plane similar to the ones is shown in these images here. it's called breyer one. 75 again. this was in alaska airlines flight. you can see it is on the smaller side of commercial aircraft, a commuter twin engines are not big 4 engine, which are often used for overseas flights. this one just had 76 seats on board. and this is a look at what the cockpit looks like. they're not a lot of room to move around. the jump seat would have been behind the pilot's seated here so f

air, was going from everett, washington, to san francisco last night when an off duty pilot, joseph david emerson, tried to shut down the engines. okay. just to give you a heads up, we've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn't sound like he's causing any issue in the back right now. i think he's subdued the off duty guest pilot was inside the cockpit in what's called the jump seat behind the pilot and copilot says reports say he tried to pull the fire suppression handle. now, that would arm the fire extinguishing system, shut the engines down, cut off fuel, electricity, hydraulic and pneumatic control systems to the engines. jim gray has been training pilots for more than three decades at his company, oakland fliers. i think it would be very difficult for somebody to come up from the jump seateay do anything really debilitate getting to the aircraft. you have to able bodied pilots in the front seat there. the pilots werable to thwart that effort. the plane diverted to portland, where emerson was arrested. he could face 83 counts of attempted murder, suc

ahí detuvieron a joseph david emerson, residente de pleasant hill, y quien ahora enfrenta 83 cargos deensa, aseguran. se trata de un error. si ustedes está en busca de ayuda legal, le vamos a decir en que lugar estarán ofreciendo asesorías gratis. >> esta semana para que aprovechen. espero una noche con bastante neblina. >> estamos viendo en vivo en san francis y al amanecer el día de mañana, otro día cálido antes de que cambie nuestro panorama, les tengo todos los detalles. al regresar mi reporte. el tiempo y este sábado 28 de octubre en el centro de geary se realizará el festival de la ofrenda, durante el cual se realizarán actividades propias del día de los muertos en méxico. >> iniciará a las 19:00 de la noche y se contará con una exposición de altares, entre ellos 1 gigante construido san josé porque recientemente se dio a conocer que el centro de la ciudad está recuperando su economía. y es que más personas dicen están llegando a la popular área en busca de esparcimiento, lo que según los estudios recientes, podría significar que la ciudad está recuperando. tal es el punto que un

joseph david emerson was in the cockpit of an alaska airlines flight when the alleged incident occurredmpted murder. a third of hospitals in gaza are no longer functioning, dwindling power supplies and water have forced their closure. joe biden have said aid isn't reaching gaza fast enough, but the us and several allies have rebuffed calls for ceasefires even as the humanitarian situation worsens. the un palestinian refugee agency's spokesman discussed what it is like on the ground there and how he has been affected personally. we arejoined by we are joined by the director of the lamps three at the united nations relief and works agency for palestinian refugees. you have lost more than a dozen members of your extended family, our condolences for your loss. your parents and your loss. your parents and your sisters are in gaza at the moment, how are they? family is not doinu moment, how are they? family is not doing very _ moment, how are they? family is not doing very well. _ the family is not doing very well, my immediate family are unharmed, but there is nothing 0k happening in gaza ri

. >> reporter: tonight, alaska airlines pilot joseph david emerson facing attempted murder charges in court for trying to crash a passenger jet. >> not guilty plea on all counts. >> reporter: as we learn he allegedly told investigators he had taken psychedelic mushrooms for the first time some 48 hours before the incident, and thought he was having a nervous breakdown after going without sleep for 40 hours. authorities say emerson was off-duty, hitching a ride in the cockpit's jump seat sunday. the on-duty pilots telling police emerson "engaged in casual conversation" but then mid-flight he threw his headset across the cockpit and announced, "i am not okay." then reaching up and grabbing the red fire handles and pulling them down. a pilot "physically engaged" with emerson for "25 to 30 seconds." had emerson pulled the handles all the way down, the plane would have turned "into a glider within seconds." emerson calming down and exiting the cockpit, allegedly telling a flight attendant, "you need to cuff me right now, or it's going to be bad." emerson telling police he struggled with de

. >> joseph david emerson was taken into custody on sunday. he was accused of trying to cut power to the plane's engines at cr cruising altitude. pete is with us now. what more are you learning about the pilot and what happened? >> so many new details. now there are federal charges against him. there were about 160 charges he was facing in state court including 83 counts of attempted murder. now he's facing these federal charges including interfering with a flight crew. that is the newest charge and in these charges are court documents that essentially lay out a pilot who is depressed and in incredible duress. in this complaint, this pilot, 44 years old, spent 22 years with alaska airlines. he says he was going to go for these engine cut offh handles that would have cut off the feel to the plane. he was sitting in the jump seat. he says as he was goeing up for this, i am not okay. there was a struggle and the documents lay out these pilots only had seconds to act before the plane was rendered into a glider. then he comes out of the cockpit acc

nervous breakdown and experimented with psychedelic mushrooms in the recent past. 44-year-old joseph david emersono shutoff engines on a plane bound for san francisco this weekend and facing a federal charge. khon in hand honolulu and west d most of the area could be reopened last month and damaged by deadly wild fires in last august. a live look at salt lake city in salt lake and one of the big stories tonight and a massive golden spike honoring the thousands of workers that build the transcontinental railroad arrived at the new home in utah. 43-foot monument rolled into salt lake on a flat bed truck and will remain on view for the public at utah state capitol. tonight's live look outside the beltway from special report. we'll be right back. ♪ dry skin is sensitive skin, too. and it's natural. treat it that way. tic # # ♪fun music♪ mom, can i help? camping was fun, but it looks we brought the woods back with us. if you have kids, then you really need weathertech. it's the ultimate way to kid proof your vehicle. from laser-measured floorliners for the front and rear... to cargoliner... seat protec

not been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder as well as endangering aircraft. 44 your joseph david emerson is being held without bill following this incident sunday night. alaska airlines has a flight departed from everett washington headed to san francisco for the flight crew reported a " credible threat related to an unauthorized person in the flight deck jump seat. according to the records emerson heavily subdue crewmembers after he attempted to shut down the plane's engines in flight. person is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. today, with detroit police announcer for the stabbing death of synagogue president and political strategist's mental rule was not a dream. was found dead on saturday in front of her home in a neighborhood outside of detroit. the skaters discovered a trail of blood knitting@ they believe she was downed and killed. police say that working with blood spatter experts to confirm the trajectory. the motive for the murder remains unknown suspect has yet to be identified. however, to try pd does not believe there's anyone at risk regarding this incident. teresa? >>

off duty pilot inside the flight deck attempted to disable the aircraft engines. 44-year-old joseph david emerson was subdued by the crew. he was booked on 83 accounts of attempted murder and endangering that airplane. this is a live look at orlando from fox 35, our affiliate there. one of the big stories there, a new study on rocks collected by the last man to walk on the moon is helping scientists understand the formation and age. they now believe the move formed more than 4 billion years ago, about 40 million years older than previously believed. apollo 17 was nasa's final mission to the moon in 1972. that's tonight's live look outside the beltway from special report. we're outside the beltway, too. we'll be right back. ♪ with fastsigns, create custom graphics that get tails and tongues wagging. ♪ fastsigns. make your statement. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now, get max strength topical pain relief precisely where you need it. with new tylenol precise. (fisher investments) in t

dagen: let's get to the story, how this guy get into the cockpit and had an off-duty pilot, joseph david emersond mushrooms and then he tried to crushed the airplane, and try to switch off the engines midflight and he could've killed 83 people on board and howdy to get into the carpet. >> because the was a legitimate deadhead arms probably donned that dozens of times before in the proof flying the airplane, they've had that happen several times and he's one of them, before 911 are used to ride in a coptic jump sing when i was in with the her lines because they who you are and in this case, he was there because he was authorized to do be anybody was unauthorized to go bonkers and nobody could've forcing out. >> so nobody could of foreseen that he was hired mushrooms. >> i don't know if he was emotions right but everything he was acting fairly normally and he did say that he did not feel well or something like that from what i understand you know the person flying an airplane, you cannot look at 70s i will argued mushrooms in a missed it this is not the 60s anymore i just don't think they could kn

he has since been identified as 44 year-old joseph david emerson, a resident of pleasant hill at this point, we don't know his motive for allegedly trying to turn off the engines, but he's now facing 83 counts of attempted murder along with reckless endangerment. and one count of endangering an aircraft. all right, back live. now the passengers on that flight were allowed to board a later flight from portland to here at san francisco a sunday evening. >> the alaska airlines said a statement afternoon that they are cooperating with investigations by the fbi and the portland police department. but for now at sfo, charles clifford kron, 4 news. charles, thank you. >> also learning that the suspect, joseph emerson, had a home here in the bay area. so our team coverage continues right now with kron four's tiffany justice, who's live for us in pleasant hill. tiffany, been talking to his neighbors. what are they saying about him? >> right. so neighbors really taken aback after hearing the news today. i spoke with the couple who lives right next door to his home. they've known the pilot and h

he since been identified as 44 year-old joseph david emerson, residents of pleasant hill at this point, we don't know his motive for allegedly trying to turn off the engines, but he's now facing 83 counts of attempted murder along with reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft. >> all right, back live now, anderson is currently in custody in multnomah county in oregon. in portland is expected to be arraigned in court tomorrow afternoon. but for now at sfo, charles clifford kron, 4 news. >> charles, thank you. we're also learning that the suspect, joseph emerson had a home here in the bay area's. our team coverage continues right now with kron four's tiffany justice who is live for us in pleasant hill. tiffany, what have you learned about him? >> right. neighbors really taken aback after hearing the news today. we spoke with the couple who lives right next door to the pilot. they've known the pilot and his family for the past 5 years after they moved into this community. they are shocked. we know that the pilot, joseph emerson, 44 years old and his family of 3, his

>> and dan, this was the first appearance and arraignment for 44 year old joseph david emerson of pleasant hill on the federal charge. emerson pleaded not guilty to interference with flight crew members and attendants. that one charge could bring up to 20 years in prison after the hearing. emerson's wife, sarah, told reporters that she knew her husband was struggling with depression, but, quote, this is not my joe. he never would have done that. he never would have knowingly done any of that. that is not the man i married. also today, federal prosecutors filed an amended complaint against emerson. it now says emerson had not slept for 48 hours before the flight. not the 40 hours first noted. and that corresponds with the time frame in which he told police he took psychic delic mushrooms. emerson claimed he was despondent over the recent death of his best friend, but the amended complaint now says that friend died six years ago. according to the fbi affidavit, emerson felt he was suffering a nervous breakdown aboard the alaska airlines flight operated by horizon air from everett, washington

oregon authorities have identified that off duty pilot as joseph david emerson from pleasant hill.attempted murder and other charges, one for each person who was on that flight. you can find out much more on this story at abc. seven news.com right now we look at traffic. hi, jobina. hi, reggie. >> thank you. good morning, everybody. we are, of course, checking in on the richmond-san rafael bridge, where we are in week three of the sigalert for people traveling in the westbound direction, three lanes blocked on westbound 580. you can see the backup there. it stretches 5.71 miles. really bad there. walnut creek looking live at 680. that southbound traffic also slowing. there were reports of some fog in the area. drew says it's not too bad, though, so expect delays. >> a reminder that you can stream us while you're in that traffic. meteorology tumor so, you've got the power of xfinity at home. now take it outside with xfinity mobile. like speed? it's the fastest mobile service around. with the best price for two lines of unlimited. only $30 bucks a line per month. that's hundreds in s

joseph david emerson appeared in court tuesday to face charges, looking emotional. >> enter a not guilty plea on all counts. >> reporter: he allegedly told investigators he had taken psychedelic mushrooms for the first time, some 48 hours before the incident and thought he was having a nervous breakdown after going without sleep for 40 hours. authorities say emerson was off duty, hitching a ride in the cockpit sunday. according to the criminal complaint, the on duty pilots told police emerson engaged in casual conversation but then midflight he threw his head set across the cockpit and announced i am not okay, reaching up and grabbing the red fire handle and pulling them down. a pilot physically engaged with emerson for 25 to 30 seconds. had emerson pulled the handles all the way down, the plane would have turned into a glider within seconds. according to the complaint, he tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit door but a flight attendant stopped him. >> it definitely was scary. the flight attendant came on for the third time and made the announcement that there is a passenger hav

he has since been identified as 44 year-old joseph david emyrson. emerson is an faa licensed pilot which might explain why he was allowed to ride in the cockpit. but we don't yet know which if any airline he worked for this point. we also don't know his motive for allegedly trying to turn off the engines, but he is now facing 83 counts of attempted murder along with reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft. >> all right, back live. now the faa is investigating this incident. also, the passengers who were on that flight were allowed to board a later flight in the evening. the flight from portland to hear it s about. but for now at the airport, charles clifford kron, 4 news. charles, thank you. we just got a statement from alaska airlines, the parent company of horizon air. >> this is what they're saying when that off-duty pilot tried to take control, quote, the horizon captain and first officer quickly responded. >> engine power was not lost and the crew secure the aircraft without incident. they went on to say that they're, quote, grat

the off duty pilot later identified by authorities as 44 year old captain joseph david emerson of pleasant hill, handcuffed in the back of the plane on board at the time, 80 passengers, including jessica verrilli of san francisco and her two kids, unaware of what had just taken place. later posting to, quote, now knowing this all and seeing the details on kind of just in shock, the flight attendants and pilots did an incredible job. the flight operated by alaska airlines subsidiary horizon air diverted to portland international airport. yeah, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked. emerson quickly arrested alaska airlines, later crediting its crews. quick response with stopping him from fully activating the plane's fire suppression system designed to shut down the engines. the airline posting in a statement, quote, our crew responded without hesitate. action to a difficult and highly unusual situion. and we are incredibly prou for their skillful actions. and among the charges that emerson is now being hel■k on 83 counts of attempted murder and reckless endangerm