Green lasers target flights over New York

Pilots from five separate commercial flights over New York on Thursday night reported being targeted by green lasers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Pointing lasers at a plane can result in up to five years in federal prison. Green lasers, which travel farther than lasers of other colors because of color frequency, are considered a safety risk for pilots.

{mosads}Four of the aircrafts leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport were flying at approximately 8,000 feet over Long Island when they were illuminated by the lasers, the FAA said.

A fifth flight was reportedly hit by a laser 14 miles southwest of JFK, federal aviation officials said, adding that no injuries were reported in any of the cases. New York and New Jersey state police were notified.

“Green laser pointers have been a repeated danger to pilots across the metropolitan area and country,” New York Sen. Charles Schumer (D) said in a statement Friday, per ABC News. “Their use is on the rise and we must do something soon — not after a plane crashes.”

Green lasers were used in the vast majority of laser incidents at major airports in New York and New Jersey last year, including 17 times at JFK, based on data recently released by Schumer.

Schumer reiterated his call for the Food and Drug Administration, which has authority over lasers, to “ban green, long-range, high-powered laser pointers once and for all.”

“They’re quickly becoming the weapon of choice for those who want to harass our pilots and should be abolished,” he said.

Flights hit by lasers between 9:30 and 10 p.m. on Thursday included American flight 185 en route to Los Angeles, Shuttle America 4213 to Cleveland, Delta 2292 to Boston and Delta 2634 to Buffalo.

The Sun Country Airlines flight 249, en route to Minneapolis, was hit by a laser around 11:30 p.m.

The number of reported incidents involving lasers has increased dramatically in recent years, from fewer than 400 in 2006 to nearly 4,000 in the last two years.

—Updated at 1:35 p.m.