Rogue Air Steward Burglarized

Steven Slater, the flight attendant who made news with his dramatic exit from a JetBlue plane in August, has become the victim of a burglary — and his boyfriend’s brother has been charged with the crime, New York City’s NBC affiliate reports.

Jonathan Rochelle, 39, the brother of Slater’s partner, Kenneth Rochelle, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of second-degree burglary. He is accused of stealing a laptop computer, printer, and microwave oven October 14 from the home Slater shares with Kenneth Rochelle in Queens. Police say Jonathan Rochelle, who lives nearby, confessed to the theft, said he had sold the goods, and blamed his addiction to painkillers for the crime, the station reports. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

While Jonathan Rochelle was being arrested, Slater was in a Queens courtroom, accompanied by his partner, pleading guilty to attempted criminal mischief in connection with the August 9 JetBlue incident at New York’s Kennedy Airport. Slater reportedly cursed a passenger over the plane’s public address system, grabbed two cans of beer, and exited the plane via an emergency chute. Under his plea agreement, he will pay JetBlue $10,000 and will undergo mental health treatment for a year.

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