A Jet Blue pilot was charged on Wednesday with flying while drunk back and forth from Orlando to JFK last week, trying to blame it on the gum he was chewing, according to court records.
Dennis Thomas Murphy Jr. was charged with flying a total of 270 passengers to and from the Sunshine State on April 21. But when he landed back in New York, Murphy was selected for random alcohol screening, according to court records.
Murphy, who appeared to be “chewing gum rapidly” on the way to the testing center, allegedly blew a .111 during a breathalyzer test, according to the criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court. About 15 minutes later, he tried again and blew .091.
Murphy, who only started flying with JetBlue in January 2015, apparently asked why he was being tested so soon after being hired, according to the complaint, and then tried to say the results “must have been caused by the gum that he was chewing.”
Murphy was scheduled to take part in a JetBlue investigatory meeting, court records showed, but he resigned before it took place.
Arraignment and attorney information for Murphy was not immediately available.
