Who is Joseph David Emerson? Off-duty pilot charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to shut off engines on Alaska Airlines flight

An American off-duty pilot, named Joseph David Emerson, was arrested after he allegedly tried to shut down the engines of an Alaskan Airlines flight by pulling the fire extinguisher handles on it on October 22. As per the officials cited by several media houses, Emerson has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder for causing disruption to a flight scheduled to fly from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco.

A spokesperson for the airline told ABC News that the flight was diverted to Portland following a "credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat." The airplane had 80 passengers and four crew members aboard. The statement released by the airlines read:

"All passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight. We are grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and appreciate our guests' calm and patience throughout this event."

According to early information collected by authorities, the suspect attempted to pull the fire extinguisher handles on the engines, according to a federal official informed on the investigation. As per a federal officer, the suspect was overpowered by the flight crew and restrained before being tied to a seat.

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The FBI is investigating Joseph David Emerson's disruption of flight

The Port of Portland reported that Joseph David Emerson, the suspect, had been brought into custody. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said that Emerson is accused of 83 counts of attempted murder. In addition, he faces one felony case of endangering an aircraft, 83 charges of reckless endangerment, and a misdemeanor.

One of the pilots was heard stating on an air traffic control recording:

"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."

While speaking to ABC News about Joseph David Emerson's incident, one of the passengers, named Aubrey Gavello said:

"We didn't know anything was happening until the flight attendant got on the loudspeaker and made an announcement that there was an emergency situation and the plane needed to land immediately. … About 15 minutes later, she got back on and said that there was a medical emergency."

Another passenger named Alex Wood said that the pilot told everyone that there was a "disturbance in the cockpit."

Wood added that once the aircraft touched down, law enforcement proceeded to the rear and took away a guy who was handcuffed. The guy "was wearing a lanyard, a sweater," the officer observed, adding that he seemed to be a worker for an airline.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the incident involving Joseph David Emerson is "not connected in any way shape, or form to current world events." Law enforcement is looking into the incident, the airline said. In addition to confirming that it is investigating the event, the FBI said it "can assure the traveling public there is no ongoing threat related to this incident."