The JetBlue flight attendant who flipped out on a passenger and then used the emergency chute to escape the plane at John F. Kennedy Airport was released Tuesday on $2,500 bail.

Steven Slater, 38, was arraigned earlier in the day on charges of criminal mischief, trespassing, and reckless endangerment.

He did not enter a plea.

He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

“The emergency chute deploys at 3,000 pounds per square inch within seconds and could easily injure or kill ground crews or others on the tarmac who are unaware the chute has been activated," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. "This would have been a far different arraignment if someone had been standing under the emergency chute when it deployed.”

Police say Slater was working on a flight from Pittsburgh to JFK when he got into an argument with a passenger after the plane landed.

The passenger was pulling down luggage from the overhead bin before he had permission, and the luggage struck Slater in the head. When he asked for an apology, the passenger refused.

That's when police say Slater got on the plane's public address system, cursed at the passenger, and said, "I'm outta here."

Police say he then grabbed a beer from the galley, deployed the slide, and jumped down.

He was later arrested at his home in Belle Harbor.

Slater's attorney said that his client was pushed to the breaking point by hurtful passengers.

"People just don't have courtesy to one another," said attorney Howard Turman. "He's been in the airline industry since he was 19. People just aren't polite. When they travel, do you know how rude people are?"

While speaking to reporters Tuesday, Slater's attorney also shed some light on the flight attendant's personal life. He says Slater lost several friends on September 11, 2001 and on TWA Flight 800. He says both had a big impact on him and is now dealing with his mother's battle with lung cancer.

Meanwhile, Slater's neighbors were surprised by the incident and the police reaction.

"It was like mayhem. I thought someone had a gun on the beach or something,” said a neighbor. “There was like 5,000 cops, it was crazy. No it was really more like 20 but it felt like that. It was like something out of the movies. I guess you can't act out on planes anymore."

"I would think it's hilarious. I think it'd be a joke, except it would probably hold you up at the airport,” said another.

The district attorney's office had the judge sign two orders of protection against two passengers that were on the plane with Slater and were involved in the dispute.

JetBlue says it is helping with the investigation and that the safety of passengers and crew members was never at risk.

The cost to replace the emergency escape slide is in excess of $25,000, according to JetBlue security.