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The commercial airline pilot charged with nearly killing dozens of passengers is speaking out for first time, believing he could have snapped out of his terrifying hallucinogenic state if he destroyed the plane.

Joseph Emerson was interviewed Friday by the New York Times in Portland's Multnomah County Jail, telling a reporter, “I thought it would stop both engines, the plane would start to head towards a crash, and I would wake up."

Emerson was arrested for the bizarre October 22 incident aboard a flight from Washington state to San Francisco. He was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder -- one for each passenger -- and is currently being held without bond.

He told The Times his nightmare began two days earlier when he consumed magic mushrooms with friends while reminiscing about another buddy who had passed away in 2018.

He said the death had a traumatic impact on his life, falling into a deep funk and seeking out therapists to cope with the loss.

Fast forward to Oct. 22. Emerson said he was continuing to self-medicate and ingest the 'shrooms with his friends, who he thought were mocking him and scheming to harm him.

He said feelings of fear and dread washed over him on his way to the airport, boarding the one-hour flight to San Francisco as a passenger -- not a pilot -- since he was off duty at the time.

Before the doors closed on the plane, Emerson said he texted a friend, claiming he was having a panic attack.

After the flight took off, Emerson said he went completely nuts, screaming, "I'm not OK," before activating the plane's two fire-suppression handles.

According to a police report, the pilots flying the plane grabbed Emerson's wrists and ripped him away from the control panel so he couldn't cut the fuel supply or shut down the engines.

The report says Emerson then yelled, “You need to cuff me right now, or it’s going to be bad!" He also allegedly guzzled coffee from a pot, tried to open the emergency door and demanded to know if all this was real.

It certainly was because Emerson was arrested after the plane made an emergency landing. To top everything off, Emerson allegedly took off his clothes, attempted to dive out a window, peed on himself and masturbated.

C.T. Tamburello, known from his time on MTV's "The Challenge," has finalized his divorce ... this coming a year after heading to court to pull the plug on their marriage.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, C.T. and his ex, Lilianet Solares, reached a settlement earlier this month -- agreeing to split custody of their 7-year-old son, Christopher Jr., and also to evenly divvy up expenses for the child.

But C.T.'s also gonna have to pay Lilianet $761.39 each month in child support ... and an additional $332.45 for each week he is working, and unable to exercise equal timesharing for their little one.

In addition, C.T. keeps their home, but will give Lilianet another $30,000 for her portion of the property's equity -- he'll also retain ownership of his company, New Leaf Investments, and she keeps her business, Solares Management.

TMZ broke the story, C.T. filed for divorce in Florida last November, following a very up-and-down relationship.

Docs filed in September showed they agreed on strict rules when it came to raising their kid -- which included them not being able to ask Christopher Jr. about the other parent while spending time with them.

8:44 AM PT -- Keke Palmer's request has been granted temporarily until a hearing on December 5.

Keke Palmer has submitted security camera footage as part of her request for a restraining order against her ex, Darius Jackson ... which allegedly shows him physically assaulting her in her home.

As we reported, Keke went to court Wednesday seeking sole custody of her 8-month-old son, Leodis Andrellton Jackson ... but gave no details as to the grounds.

However, she also filed for a restraining order against Darius, alleging she faced "many instances of physical violence" with him -- including one as recent as Sunday.

According to new docs obtained by TMZ, Keke's now presenting footage she claims was recorded in February 2022 of Darius "chok[ing] me and body slamm[ing] me onto the stairs" after he got "violently jealous and irrationally angry over a bikini picture."

Keke claims Darius got "enraged" after showing him the bikini pic of her, despite allegedly not showing it to anyone else but him -- adding, "I simply showed it to him on my phone as I was proud of what I had accomplished."

The actress says Darius abused her over 2 days after that, with the security footage only capturing some of what she says happened -- showing Darius allegedly grabbing her around the neck and slamming her on the stairs.

Don't forget, Darius publicly shamed Keke's outfit choice at an Usher concert back in July -- over a year after this alleged altercation over a photo of her in a bikini.

Keke's mom, Sharon, has since spoken out against Darius and his brother, Sarunas ... who she claims knew Darius was abusive, but didn't do a thing about it.

6:48 PM PT -- To add another complicated layer to this custody filing, Keke has also reportedly filed for a temporary restraining order against Darius, according to Us Weekly.

In the docs, Keke alleges there have been "many instances of physical violence" with Jackson, including one on November 5 Keke says she has on video.

Keke Palmer is gunning for full legal and physical custody of her 8-month-old child … another development in the apparent relationship breakdown with Darius Jackson.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the actress is asking a judge to give her full custody of her baby son Leodis Andrellton Jackson. Keke does not get into details as to why she's decided to file.

The petition states that Keke is willing to pay the reasonable expenses of pregnancy and birth -- but she's also asking the court order Darius to assist with attorney fees and expert fees.

As we reported, the fallout between the couple seemingly started when Darius publicly insinuated Keke's choice of attire at an Usher concert in Vegas was inappropriate for a mom.

Keke doubled down on her sexy wardrobe selection with a recap on IG ... and Usher also seemed to have her back ... so Darius stood little chance of having people see things from his POV.

Chet Hanks must defend his house, and he'll do it with his bare fists, as a man who was allegedly trying to get into Chet's place found out the hard way ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... before authorities arrived early Monday morning, Tom Hanks' son punched the 42-year-old suspect after finding him attempting to break in around 3:00 AM. When L.A. County Sheriff's deputies got on scene they tried to slap cuffs on the man, but he kept fighting.

Eventually, they subdued him enough to get cuffs on him ... but while leading him to the car, the guy fell backward onto one of the deputies, who ended up with a broken leg!!!

Both men had to be taken to a hospital for treatment. Once he was medically cleared, the suspect was booked for burglary. As for Chet ... at least physically, he was unscathed.

Robert De Niro just lost big in a New York courtroom, after a jury socked his production company with a $1.2 million judgment.

A jury shut down De Niro's claim that his ex-personal assistant, Graham Chase Robinson, embezzled from him. He had sought $6 million in damages but after 5 hours of deliberation, the jury tossed his claim.

The jury was way more sympathetic to Robinson's $12 million countersuit, awarding her $1.2 mil against De Niro's company, Canal Productions.

De Niro testified during the 2-week trial, and the jury heard about the tensions between him. The actor admitted he had called her a "f**king spoiled brat" when she failed to wake him for an important appointment. He also admitted that he asked her to scratch his back several times, but scoffed at the notion it was sexual. Robinson called it "creepy" and "disgusting."

Robinson claimed she was bullied by De Niro's girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, whom Robinson called a sociopath.

The trial, which lasted 8 days, was explosive, from start to finish.

11/7 -- 8:26 AM PT -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s attorney, Michael Baum, tells TMZ ... "We needed to take this step because President Joe Biden won't give Mr. Kennedy security protection despite the clear need demonstrated by Jonathan Macht's and others' actions."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn't have the Secret Service protecting him, as he would like, so he's running to a judge for help after a guy twice tried to unlawfully enter his home.

The 2024 presidential candidate is seeking court-ordered protection from a man named Jonathan Macht, who police previously identified as RFK Jr.'s home intruder.

RFK Jr. beelined it to court Monday and filed for a temporary restraining order against Macht ... according to online records. It's unclear if a judge signed off.

TMZ broke the story ... Macht was arrested last month after cops say he twice attempted to get inside the Brentwood home where RFK Jr. lives with his wife, Cheryl Hines.

Remember ... cops said Macht got over the fence and into the yard before being detained by RFK Jr.'s security until police arrived to arrest him.

Law enforcement said the guy was released from custody, only to come back to the RFK Jr.'s home the following day, leading to another arrest.

What's more, Kennedy's campaign claimed the guy asked to speak with RFK Jr., who we're told was home at the time of both incidents.

Kennedy's team says they've alerted Secret Service about Macht several times in recent months, labeling him an "obsessed" individual.

But as Cheryl told us on "TMZ Live," Kennedy has struck out in multiple attempts to get Secret Service protection, despite his strong numbers at the polls and his family's tragic history.

With no Secret Service agents, it looks like RFK Jr. wants the courts to help here.

LAPD Threat Management continues to investigate this case.

An alley cat has turned a man who was down on his luck into a millionaire.

Joshua Smith just snagged a $1.375 million verdict after a jury ruled his landlord catnapped Frank, his Cheshire cat.

The Oregon man found the stray back in 2017, and took him in at a drug recovery residential facility where he was staying. Two years later, Frank turned up missing, and Joshua knew ... his landlord was the culprit. The landlord reportedly confessed and said he gave Frank to his girlfriend to take to a local shelter.

He sued, and it took the jury less than 2 hours to award the whopping verdict. Typically in these cases, the animal owner could only recover the actual value of the cat, which would be next to nothing. Although information isn't available, it would appear the jury awarded punitive damages for willful misconduct.

Steven Tyler's latest accuser -- who claims he sexually assaulted her nearly 50 years ago -- filed her lawsuit against the singer in the nick of time, legally speaking ... as the statute of limitations was about to run out.

Jeff Anderson, attorney for the alleged victim Jeanne Bellino, tells TMZ ... he and his client recently decided to file against Tyler under New York City's Gender-Motivated Violence Act.

Under that act, Bellino -- who alleges the assault happened in New York City in 1975 when she was 17 -- has a much larger window for the statute of limitations ... but even so, Anderson says it was set to expire at the end of November.

As we reported, Julia Holcomb also sued Tyler at the end of last year, alleging she was sexually assaulted by the musician in 1973 when she was 16 -- and also claimed he pressured her to get an abortion.

Anderson is representing both women in their respective cases.

In fact, we're told Holcomb and Bellino plan to serve as witnesses for each other's cases. Anderson says Bellino first came to him to say she was open to testifying for Holcomb to establish a pattern of Tyler's alleged behavior.

The suspect who snatched Lily Collins' belongings has been identified, law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... with the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. seeking the public's assistance in catching the thief.

Andreea Catalina Rosca has been unmasked as the alleged perp who stole the "Emily in Paris" star's possessions, including her wedding band, engagement ring and some electronics.

An active warrant is now out for Rosca's arrest in connection with removing jewelry and credit cards from lockers in a hotel spa and yoga studio .... and using the stolen items to create fake IDs and purchase over $67K in jewelry.

Keeping busy in her alleged criminal pursuits, she also holds a fake Washington State ID card under the name "Nicole Morri."

Andreea, aka Nicole, is described as a female white adult, approximately 34 years old, 5' 1", 100 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes.

With links to the Romanian Organized Theft Groups, she's known to travel the states committing similar crimes. Anyone with info on her whereabouts is urged to contact the West Hollywood Sheriff Station.

Remember ... TMZ first revealed Lily fell victim to major theft when her relaxing spa trip ended with over $10,000 of her valuables swiped from her locker.

Russell Brand exposed his penis to a woman on a movie set then sexually assaulted her in a bathroom on the same day ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Russell is being sued by an actress who claims he made her time on the set of the movie "Arthur" a living hell -- and BTW, this does indeed mark a new accuser.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the woman claims she was on set in July 2010 when Russell exposed his penis to her "in full view of the cast and crew" of the Warner Bros. movie.

Russell's accuser, who is suing as a Jane Doe, claims prior to the alleged assault he "appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set."

In the docs, the woman claims Russell followed her into a bathroom later that same day ... where he sexually assaulted her while "a member of the production crew guarded the door from the outside."

The woman claims she still suffers extreme fear, shame and embarrassment as a result of the alleged incident.

In the suit, the woman claims she was hired to work on the movie for 3 days ... but after the alleged assault happened on the first day, she was not brought back for the second or third day and was only paid for one day of work.

The woman says she's terrified of becoming blacklisted in Hollywood if her name is associated with a sexual assault lawsuit against a big-name celebrity ... and she says she fears retaliation from RB's loyal following.

As we reported ... Russell's already been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 4 other women ... and he's under criminal investigation in the United Kingdom.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's getting dragged to court by the cyclist he accidentally hit with his car, and she's ripping his driving skills ... or the alleged lack thereof.

According to the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, a woman named Joanne Flickinger claims she's the bicyclist who collided with Arnold's SUV back in February on a busy West L.A. street.

In the docs, Flickinger claims Arnold is at fault ... she says he was driving "with excessive speed and failed to keep a proper lookout." She also claims the collision caused her severe injuries.

TMZ broke the story ... Arnold was involved in a traffic accident with a woman on a bike, and she was transported to a hospital. We're told he took the lady's bike, attached it to his SUV and took it to a local bike shop for repairs.

At the time, our law enforcement sources told us the woman made a left turn in front of Arnold before he had a chance to hit his brakes and he was not going very fast at all.

Obviously, the bicyclist sees things differently ... and she's going after Arnold for money.

A woman driving a Porsche at more than 100 miles per hour on a Washington state highway lost control and went airborne, crashing and killing her passenger -- and it was all caught on video.

26-year-old Ting Ye was charged with vehicular homicide as a King County judge issued an arrest warrant for her following the deadly September 30th incident in Bellevue, WA.

Traffic camera footage captured Ye whizzing down the freeway in the sports car with her passenger, Yabao Liu, in the early morning hours.

Suddenly, the vehicle spins around and travels sideways, slamming into a metal barrier and launching off the roadway while flipping over wildly.

The 27-year-old Liu died, whereas Ye was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released. The pair came to Bellevue for work, although their exact relationship was unclear.

According to court docs, Ye was uncooperative with police and slipped out of the medical center, hightailing it to Canada before fleeing to China.

Prosecutors then filed the criminal charge against Ye, while the judge signed off on her arrest warrant. Now, they're working with federal authorities in D.C. to bring her back to Bellevue to face justice.

One major obstacle is China, which does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S., preventing the foreign government from turning her over.

BMW's ready to come-a-knockin' for Kroy Biermann's luxury whip ... the company's asking a judge to let it take back a Rolls-Royce he allegedly hasn't paid for in over a year.

According to the new docs, obtained by TMZ, Kroy failed to respond to BMW within the allotted time ... after the company filed, months ago, for a writ of possession. That's legal-ese for ... we're ready to repo the damn car!

With Kroy going radio silent, BMW wants the judge to give 'em the green light to get the car back from the former NFL linebacker.

TMZ broke the story, BMW sued Kroy in June for allegedly missing his lease payments on the $400,100 luxury SUV.

The docs claimed he owed $5,297.64 per month from July 2020 to July 2023 -- totaling a whopping $190,715.04 -- but the company says his last payment was in September 2022.

Don't forget, the repo request comes as Kroy and Kim Zolciak are deep in the hole financially amid their messy divorce.

The 2 recently asked a judge to push pause on the foreclosure of their mansion -- adding the scheduled November 7 auction going through will mean they will suffer "irreparable injury to the marital estate depleting it in its entirety."

A Florida man was arrested last month after he allegedly tried circumcising his toddler cousin -- which went terribly wrong ... and which landed this guy behind bars.

29-year-old Timothoes Powell was taken into custody and booked on child abuse charges earlier in October -- all because he allegedly tried snipping his 2-year-old relative's penis while babysitting him down in Daytona Beach ... this according to the local authorities.

Here's how cops are saying it went down ... Powell was watching his young cuzzo while the kid's parents were away -- and mom and dad got a call from their nephew at one point saying he had to rush their son to the hospital because he was bleeding from his crotch.

As it turns out ... the child appeared to have been cut, and when asked about this -- Powell reportedly told police glass must've been in the little one's diaper. Upon further questioning, however, Powell reportedly said he may have pulled the baby's foreskin down too hard while trying to clean him. Of course, cops weren't buying that -- 'cause nurses said it looked like a clean cut and was far too precise to be any sort of accident like the one he described.

Cops ended up arresting with some other evidence they say they recovered -- including home surveillance footage which supposedly shows Powell acting mean to the kid ... and allegedly walking away from the boy at one point with an object in his hand. Investigators believe he may have attempted to deliberately circumcise his cousin ... and now, he's in trouble.

Al Pacino is a new dad once again at 83, and it ain't gonna be cheap ... he'll pay $30,000 a month in child support, an amount that could grow based on his annual earnings.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Al and his most recent girlfriend Noor Alfallah -- with whom he welcomed a son named Roman back in June -- just hammered out their custody agreement.

They'll share legal custody of Roman, Noor will get primary physical custody and Al will get visitation.

Both parents will work together when it comes to determining holidays and both have an equal say in schooling decisions and in attending extracurricular activities.

As for child support ... Al is going to pay $110,000 up front and is now responsible for paying $30,000 a month in base child support. He will also have to put $15,000 per year in an education fund and could pay up to an extra $90,000 at the end of the year ... depending on his earnings.