FBI seeks assistance in identifying laser threats to plane en route to JFK

The FBI is seeking assistance in identifying laser threats to a plane flying into John F. Kennedy International Airport Wednesday night.

News 12 Staff

Oct 3, 2019, 9:11 PM

Updated 1,835 days ago

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The FBI is seeking assistance in identifying laser threats to a plane flying into John F. Kennedy International Airport Wednesday night.

News 12 is told that the blue laser appears to have come from the Roslyn area.

The FBI says that pointing a laser at an aircraft is a felony that carries a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of a quarter-million dollars.
Video from the Federal Aviation Administration shows a simulation of what can happen when a laser pointer is directed toward the pilot of a plane - the whole cockpit fills up with blinding green light. 

"Very serious matter, lives at stake,” says Mike Canders, an aviation expert at Farmingdale State College. “It could cause an aircraft crash, with people in the aircraft of course."

The FAA says these kinds of incidents are on the rise, including here on the Island.

News 12 is told that there have been 31 reported laser strikes at JFK, 33 at LaGuardia, two at Republic Airport and two at MacArthur this year alone.

The FBI is asking anyone with information call them at 1-800-CALL-FBI.