Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Laser Pointer Jackass Strikes Plane Cockpit, Then Police Helicopter
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 22, 2012
Modified Aug 22, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 22, 2012
Modified Aug 22, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It's against federal law and any sense of human decency to shine a laser pointer at an aircraft, but this is a big world with many wondrous a-holes in it. Last night one of them decided to pass the time by shining a laser beam into the cockpit of a charter flight coming in for a landing at Kennedy Airport. And when a police helicopter was sent to investigate, the P.O.S. shined it at the cops, too.
Sun Country Airlines Flight 8800 out of Reykjavik, Iceland was hit over Long Island as it approached JFK around 8:30 p.m. After the pilot reported the incident, Suffolk County police dispatched a helicopter to try and find the perp, and got an eyeful of laser for their troubles. Two officers and a medical technician on board were treated at a hospital and released, CBS 2 reports. It's unclear if the pilots on the chartered plane were injured.
Green lasers are particularly powerful and can cause permanent eye damage, in addition to making it difficult to fly a freaking plane. In July, a JetBlue pilot was slightly injured when some rat bastard psychotic aimed a laser pointer at the cockpit as the flight approached JFK. Here's video showing what a happens when a cockpit gets flooded with a laser beam:
No arrests were made in this incident, but CBS 2 notes that earlier this week an 18-year old was charged with pointing a laser at an officer on a Marine Bureau boat on patrol off Sayville. And earlier this month Senator Chuck Schumer demanded that the FDA regulate the sale of laser pointers, requiring them to be sold at a lower strength and to require warning labels that make it clear that directing them at aircraft is a federal offense (they already come with warnings telling you not to point them in your eye).
Tagged
JFK
jfk airport
laser beams
laser pointer
pilots
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 11:37 a.m. ET
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .