Dim Bulb Pointed Laser at Cops, Planes

Dim Bulb Pointed Laser at Cops, Planes

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 10- All signs point to a true dim bulb.

Cops arrested a Pelham Bay man they said had been targeting commercial planes with a laser pointer affecting the pilots’ vision. He was charged with assaulting police pilots.

Members of the NYPD Aviation Unit canvassed Pelham Bay Monday night after receiving a report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that someone was targeting commercial airline pilots with a laser pointer. Investigators said that three pilots on two separate occasions suffered eye injuries. Two of those pilots were officers operating a police helicopter. The officers were treated for their injuries at Mount Sinai Hospital. In another incident, a pilot from an Air Canada commercial airliner suffered eye injuries.

On March 9, a police helicopter spotted the beam from a laser pointer from inside 2801 Coddington Avenue, Apartment 3. Officers from the 45^th Precinct responded. While conducting an investigation police observed a black tubular device labeled "Laser 303" on top of the refrigerator. While interviewing Frank Egan, 36, the resident of the apartment admitted the laser pointer was his and that he had used it that night.

Police arrested Egan and charged him with the following: assault on a police officer (2 counts), felony assault (3 counts), menacing a police officer (2 counts), reckless endangerment (3 counts) and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

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