NEWARK, N.J. (WWLP) – Police in New Jersey are trying to figure out who shined a laser at five commercial airliners prior to landing at Newark-Liberty International Airport Wednesday night.
Port Authority Police told WNBC-TV in New York that the incidents happened between 10:00 and 11:00 P.M. Air traffic controllers had to change the approach patterns for the flights, but there were no further incidents with the landings, and no one was hurt.
The FBI says that an ordinary laser pointer shined at a cockpit window appears much larger than just a pinpoint, and disperses through the flight deck.
Pointing a laser at a commercial airliner is a federal crime, and carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
