A flight attendant, upset because a passenger refused to apologize after accidentally striking him with luggage, allegedly spewed obscenities over an airplane's PA system and then activated and slid down the emergency escape chute before disappearing into a terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport Monday, an airport official said.

Shortly after JetBlue Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh taxied to a stop at Terminal 5, Gate C around noon on Monday, flight attendant Steven Slater, 38 years old, was struck in the head with the luggage a passenger was trying to unload from an overhead compartment, according to an airport official with knowledge of the incident.

Steven Slater allegedly spewed obscenities at passengers before fleeing. MySpace

Mr. Slater demanded an apology from the passenger, but the passenger refused to give one. The two argued back and forth before the passenger directed an expletive at Mr. Slater, the official said.

A JetBlue flight attendant activated an emergency slide after a confrontation with a passenger on a plane, grabbed cans of beer from the aircraft's galley and slid down the chute before taking off in his car.

Mr. Slater then got on the plane's PA system and directed the same obscenity at all the passengers, and added that he especially meant it for the man who refused to apologize, the official said.

Mr. Slater is then alleged to have activated the inflatable emergency slide, grabbed two beers from the flight attendant's galley and slid down the chute, the official said.

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The attendant then ran into the terminal, the official said, and made his way to his car and drove to his residence in Belle Harbor, in Queens.

The airport official said JetBlue officials waited until about 25 minutes after the chute was deployed before they notified Port Authority Police, which enabled Mr. Slater to make the getaway.

Steve Stampley, a JetBlue Airways spokesman, declined to comment on the alleged reporting delay.

"At this time, we are working with the FAA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to investigate this incident. At no time was the security or safety of our customers or crew members at risk," he said.

Authorities picked up the flight attendant at his home on Beach 128th Street Monday afternoon and brought him to the Port Authority Police station at Kennedy Airport for questioning. The official said Mr. Slater was calm when arrested and remained so throughout his interrogation and the booking process.

He was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. He was awaiting arraignment Monday. Attempts to reach Mr. Slater's relatives were not successful.

Mr. Stampley said it's JetBlue's corporate policy not to divulge information about crew members.

Write to Sean Gardiner at sean.gardiner@wsj.com