6 aircraft hit by lasers in New York, Dallas on Wednesday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Three news helicopters in New York and three planes near Dallas were hit by laser beams on Wednesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Pilots for choppers flying for CBS New York, WNBC and WABC each described seeing a laser in their cockpit while flying over a scene in Park Slope, Brooklyn, CBS reported.
“When we were looking there, we got lasered,” CBS pilot Joe Biermann said. “The NYPD was right next to us, so they hovered above the place.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cops traced the laser beam to the rear of a Brooklyn building and took two people into custody. A third person was later picked up in New Jersey, WCBS reported. Charges are pending as the investigation continues.
One of the men, 20-year-old Ossieo Silva, was charged with two counts of reckless endangerment, one a felony and one a misdemeanor.
Three inbound flights to Dallas Love Field also reported laser incidents between 7:30 and 7:45 p.m., according to the Dallas Morning News. A Southwest Airlines plane and Virgin America plane en route from Austin and a private business jet were affected, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said. The planes were at altitudes of between 3,000 and 4,000 feet.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Texas laser came from a spot 11 miles southeast of Dallas, Lunsford said. A law enforcement helicopter was sent to investigate.
No arrests have been reported in the Dallas case.
An FBI campaign last year targeted the illegal use of laser pointers to distract airplanes. Authorities said at the time that instances of the crime had increased significantly since 2005, when federal officials first started keeping statistics. Twelve New Jersey-area flights reported being hit by lasers in one night in July. Six days later, five other crews reported similar incidents.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.