New York State Police and the FAA are looking for the person or persons responsible for pointing a laser beam at a commercial jetliner as it flew over Mattituck late Monday night.
The first officer of a United Airlines jet flying from Newark International Airport to Rhode Island reported seeing a green laser beam in the cockpit as the jet was traveling northwest about 11,000 feet over the area of Mattituck, according to N.Y. State Police.
The incident was reported to N.Y. State Police Troop L headquarters at about 11:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1 by T.F. Green Airport Police in Warwick, Rhode Island. Police said laser was reported “originating from the north shore of Long Island” in the area of Mattituck.
Units from the N.Y. State Police barracks in Riverside and the Southold Police Department responded and searched the area with negative results, according to a state police press release issued Tuesday by state police.
Laser beams can distract and startle pilots and even cause temporary flash blindness when the source of the laser is close enough to the pilot, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
At the altitude of the airliner in question, a green laser beam can illuminate the cockpit and pose a distraction hazard, according to the federal agency.
Laser-aircraft incidents in the U.S. have risen dramatically this decade, from 2,837 in 2010 to 3,894 in 2014, according to FAA statistics. There were more than 5,000 laser strikes as of October 2015, an average of 18.3 per night.
Pointing a laser beam at an aircraft is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 under a bill signed into law by the president in February 2012.
The New York State Police in conjunction with the FAA Rhode Island Office is actively investigating Monday night’s incident, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the New York State Police at 631-756-3300. All calls will be kept confidential, police said.
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