Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’ niece was kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight and arrested after she accused a Latino family of “smuggling cocaine” — and allegedly injured six sheriff’s deputies, one of whom was bitten.
Shannon Epstein, 25, alleged caused the ruckus on a 6 a.m. flight from New Orleans, Louisiana to New Jersey on Thanksgiving Day. She asked a Latino family sitting nearby if they were “smuggling cocaine,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jason Rivarde told NOLA.com.
Epstein, the niece of the failed 2016 Republican presidential contender, grew angry and was being disruptive on the flight, the local outlet first reported Saturday.
Airline workers decided to remove her from the plane, which had already left the gate.
But Epstein allegedly refused to leave after the plane returned from the tarmac — and she became “extremely combative” when approached by deputies, the sheriff’s office told The Post.
She injured six deputies while resisting arrest, Rivarde said, including biting one on the arm and breaking skin. She kicked another officer in the groin, he added.
Epstein also threatened the officers, saying her uncle is friends with former President Donald Trump and that she knows powerful people, Rivarde said.
“Throughout her entire interaction with deputies, she repeatedly stated that they would lose their jobs or be arrested because of her familial relationships,” Rivarde told The Post on Sunday.
She ultimately had to be handcuffed to a wheelchair before being removed from the area.
The brash-talking Garden State pol’s niece was charged with six counts of battery on a police officer, three counts of disturbing the peace, one of resisting arrest by force and one of remaining after forbidden, the outlet reported.
She was released from Jefferson Parish Correction Center on Thanksgiving Day after putting up $10,750 in bail. Her next court appeared is schedule for Jan. 23, the site reported.
Epstein and Christie could not be reached for comment by The Post Sunday.
