The Port Authority reported a laser was pointed at a United Airlines flight as it was making its final approach to Newark Liberty Airport Tuesday night, according to NBC News New York.
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The incidents happened between 9:25 p.m. and 12:10 a.m. Wednesday. Both planes were flying at 7,000 feet, the FAA said.
Fifteen minutes later, ExpressJet flight 5887 from Burlington, Vermont, was struck with a laser at 7,000 feet.
It’s unclear if all the incidents are related.
Because it can flash-blind pilots, potentially rendering them unable to land the plane, shining a laser at an aircraft’s cockpit is a federal crime, carrying a potential five-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. The other, UnitedExpress Flight 5898 from Toronto, had a green light shined on the left side of the aircraft as it neared the airport at an unspecified altitude, Pentangelo said.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department revealed they have charged a 26-year-old California man in connection with a laser strike on a police helicopter in Bakersfield.
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On July 16, 11 commercial pilots and a Coast Guard pilot all confirmed laser strikes over New Jersey during a 90-minute span beginning at 9 p.m.
