A New York State government employee berating a flight attendant while on a Delta flight was caught on video. After a video of the incident went viral, the woman is now reportedly on leave from her job.
On Feb. 6, 19-year-old Marissa Rundell was flying with her 8-month-old son from New York to Syracuse. When her son started crying, a woman complained about being seated next to a crying baby and went on to rant and threaten a flight attendant.
Video Of Woman Berating Flight Attendant Goes Viral
The woman who went off at Rundell and the flight attendant was identified as Susan Peirez, who works at the New York State Council of the Arts as a program director. Rundell filmed part of the rant and posted it on Facebook, but had no idea that the video would go viral. The young mom simply wanted to share with her friends and family on the social network her unpleasant experience, but the 45-second video has raked in nearly two million views.
Peirez claimed that she worked for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and threatened the flight attendant, telling her that she "may not have a job tomorrow." When the flight attendant told a crew member that she wants the woman off the flight, Peirez attempted to apologize, saying that she was just stressed out and she'll keep quiet.
Belligerent Delta Passenger Placed On Leave
Following this unpleasant incident that went viral, the New York State Council on the Arts reportedly started an investigation and placed Peirez on leave "until further notice."
"State employees are and must be held to the highest standard both professionally and personally," says Ronni Reich, the New York State Council of the Arts director of public information. "We were notified of this situation and have commenced an investigation."
Woman Who Filmed The Rant Feels Bad For It
Meanwhile, Rundell says that she feels bad for how things turned out after her video went viral. The young mother says that she didn't intend to cause trouble for Peirez at her job, and she didn't even realize how many people could watch what she posted. Rundell doesn't usually post much on Facebook and she had no idea that her video would go viral and that the woman would get a suspension.
She doesn't regret posting the video online, but she does feel bad that the scene affected Peirez's position. In her post on Facebook, Rundell thanked the flight attendant for not letting Peirez bully her and her son.
