On his house was found a device labeled “Laser 303.” His home is about 10 miles from the airport in Queens. When a laser is pointed to an aircraft the effect is “disorienting and temporarily blinding pilots,” as the FBI described. It’s a federal felony punishable by five years in prison. Real cases occurred many times. Even the two cops operating the helicopter involved in the pointing laser incident Monday went to the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai for minor injuries to their eyes. Because this the FBI launched a national campaign in June 2014 to deter people from pointing lasers at airplanes. The number of reported laser incidents in the city rose from 52 in 2010 to 71 in 2014.
