Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson leaves locals stunned as he’s described as the perfect dad, husband, and neighbor. Let’s meet his wife, Sarah Stretch, and kids.
Joseph David Emerson, 44, faces the homicide charges along with an additional 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft, per CBS News.
These charges come after he reportedly attempted murder after trying to shut down the plane’s engine mid-flight.
Emerson is believed to have been sitting in the jump seat beside the operating pilot on board an Embraer 175 plane flying from Everett to San Francisco on Sunday.
Shocked neighbors in his California community said he is a loving husband and father to his two young sons who did not seem to have any issues.
Following that, many want to know more about his personal life, especially, who he is married to and his children. Here’s the 4-1-1.
Who is pilot Joseph Emerson’s wife?
Born Joseph David Emerson, the Alaska Airlines pilot is married to his wife, Sarah Stretch.
Details about the couple’s marriage, including how they met, where they held their wedding, how long they’ve been together, and more, are unknown.
However, Emerson and Stretch are believed to have been married for a long while.
The FAA-licensed pilot lives in Pleasant Hill, California in the rolling hills east of San Francisco with his spouse and their babies.
DailyMail reports that their house costs around $1.2 million and is a four-bedroom home with a light-hearted sign on the doorstep that reads ‘Free Flying Lessons. Inquire Inside,’ Another reads, ‘Trick or Treat,’ as the family-oriented neighborhood gears up for Halloween.
Neighbors describe Emerson as a happy, playful dad, a friendly man with no issues they knew about. He would play basketball with his kids on a court he built for them in the backyard and invited neighbors over for parties.
They also had positive things to say about the wife, describing her as a doting mother and a swimming coach, who taught physical education at a local community college.
‘It is just really shocking, disturbing news,’ said next-door neighbor Karen Yee. ‘They are excellent neighbors. He is a fantastic father. He plays with the kids all the time. He’s very friendly. He’s just a great guy.
‘He’s very understanding of other people,’ she said. ‘We have a son with special needs, and he’s very good to him. We just couldn’t imagine him doing anything to hurt someone.’
‘It’s very hard for us to believe that he would do anything intentionally like that,’ Yee added, tearfully. ‘I can’t fathom him doing anything that would hurt anyone.’
She wanted to reach out to the family to see if there’s anything she could do to help, noting, ‘My heart just hurts for them.’
Her husband, Ed Yee, echoed her sentiments. ‘He’s never had a negative statement about his job or anything like that,’ he said.
How many children does pilot Joseph Emerson have?
FAA-licensed pilot Joseph Emerson is a doting father of two.
He has two sons who are minors.
At the moment, the names and ages of his kids are unknown.
He shares his baby boys with his swimming coach spouse, Sarah Stretch.
Emerson has been described as a devoted family man and neighbors were shocked and saddened by the news he had allegedly attempted to crash a passenger plane carrying dozens of people.
Where is Joseph Emerson now?
Emerson was arrested by Port of Portland officials, and he is described in his booking sheet as a 6 foot 1 44-year-old bald white man with blue eyes, weighing 210lbs.
Emerson is currently in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, Ore. where he is awaiting arraignment, authorities said.
“Investigation on this matter is still active and is being coordinated between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies,” the district attorney’s office said.
What did pilot Joseph Emerson do?
An off-duty pilot is charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to shut off the engines by pulling the fire extinguisher handles on an Alaska Airlines flight, according to officials.
The plane was scheduled to fly from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco before it diverted late Sunday to Portland after a “credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat,” the airline confirmed to ABC News.
The suspect allegedly tried to pull the fire extinguisher handles on the engines, preliminary information obtained by investigators indicated, according to a federal official briefed on the probe. The suspect was overwhelmed by the flight crew and subdued and then handcuffed to a seat, the federal official told ABC News.
The suspect, Joseph David Emerson, was taken into custody, the Port of Portland confirmed. Emerson is charged with 83 counts of attempted murder, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. He is also facing 83 counts of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, and one felony count of endangering an aircraft.
The suspect was en route to San Francisco, where he was scheduled to be on a flight crew of a 737, the official said.
Alaska Airlines said the off-duty pilot was sitting in the flight deck jump seat — which is in the cockpit — and “unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines.”
The captain and first officer “quickly responded,” Alaska said, adding engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.
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