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[UPDATE] Six Months After Allegedly Zapping Plane With Laser Pointer, Long Island Man Confesses
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 23, 2013
Modified Jan 23, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 23, 2013
Modified Jan 23, 2013
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[UPDATE BELOW] A Long Island man has been busted for allegedly shining a laser pointer into the cockpit of an airplane flying over the town of Shirley in August of last year. According to the FBI, Angel Rivas, 33, blasted the cockpit of a charter flight coming in for a landing at JFK on the evening of August 21st. After the pilot reported the incident, Suffolk County police dispatched a helicopter to try and find the perp, and they got zapped with a laser, too. Two officers and a medical technician on board were treated at a hospital and released.
The helicopter officers were able to narrow down the source of the beam to a cluster of residences on William Floyd Parkway in Shirley, and shortly after officer Matthew Dewitt knocked on Rivas's door at 1383 William Floyd Parkway. But Rivas denied shining the laser pointer any aircraft, and the case went cold until six months later, when Officer Dewitt responded to a disturbance call at a Quick Stop convenience store in Shirley, on January 4th. Rivas happened to be at the location, and for reasons that are currently unclear, he approached Dewitt and confessed. According to the complaint:
Rivas approached PO Dewitt and identified himself as the man PO Dewitt had interviewed in August regarding a laser-pointing incident. Defendant Rivas stated, in substance and in part, that he had shined the laser beam at the aircraft. Later on January 4, 2013, during an interview with PO Dewitt, defendant Rivas was advised of his Miranda rights both orally and in writing.
Rivas voluntarily waived his Miranda rights, orally and in writing, and made a sworn, written statement. Defendant Rivas stated, in substance and in part, that at approximately 8:30 p.m. on the night of August 21, 2012, he used a laser-pointer to direct a laser beam at an airplane and a helicopter flying overhead.
The motivation for Rivas's confession remain as opaque as his motivation for endangering the lives of untold people by shining a stupid laser pointer at aircraft.
UPDATE: A law enforcement source tells us Officer Dewitt was called to the convenience store because of a disturbance involving an intoxicated woman who was in an altercation with Rivas in or around his vehicle. But Rivas's license is suspended, and when Officer Dewitt asked him for another form of ID, Rivas allegedly said, "You know me, you were at my house, I was the one who lasered the plane."
Rivas was arraigned yesterday and released on $10,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000.
In 2011, another Strong Island genius was arrested for doing the same thing: shining a laser pointer at a plane and then a cop chopper. Laser pointers 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 happens when a cockpit gets flooded with a laser beam:
The FAA asks anyone with information about the incidents contact police or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Tagged
assholes
laser beam
laser pointer
laser pointers
long island
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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.
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