NEW ORLEANS, LA – Shannon Epstein, the niece of GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie, faces charges following a disturbance on a Spirit Airlines flight. Epstein, 26, was charged Monday with one felony for resisting police by force and two misdemeanors for disturbing the peace by public intoxication. The incident occurred on Thanksgiving, November 24, 2022, at New Orleans International Airport.
Epstein, according to police, bit, spat at, and kicked the deputies as she yelled about knowing Donald Trump, threatening the deputies’ jobs, and saying, “Do you know who I am? I’m Chris Christie’s daughter, and you’re so [expletive]ed.”
The situation escalated aboard the plane, where Epstein allegedly inquired about cocaine smuggling to a nearby Hispanic family. After being removed from the flight, she reportedly confronted airline staff and resisted leaving the jet bridge.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office reported it took seven deputies to restrain her, during which she bit, spat at, and kicked them, while claiming connections to Donald Trump and asserting her relation to Chris Christie.