Steven Slater, ladies and gentleman . . . Steve Slater!
The former JetBlue flight attendant returned to Queens Mental Health Court yesterday and got a round of applause from the gallery as he received a certificate for completing Phase 1 of his three-part substance-abuse treatment.
Slater, 38, dressed in a navy-blue suit, nodded his head in agreement with the dozen or so onlookers and court officers as they congratulated him, but dropped an emotional bomb on Queens Criminal Court Judge Marcia Hirsch.
“I feel a little weary,” Slater told the judge, since his mother — who battled terminal cancer — passed away last month. “Everything is put on hold. My family’s obligations come first.”
Slater won notoriety in August when he literally slid out of his JetBlue job. He grabbed some beers, deployed a plane’s emergency chute on the JFK tarmac and slipped down after a dispute with a rude passenger.
He has since kept up with his court-ordered counseling in New York and California, but the judge informed him that since he no longer needs to visit his mom, his West Coast travels for treatment will have to cease.