Person charged with aiming laser at Coast Guard copter
Police at the New Jersey shore say they’ve made an arrest after a Coast Guard helicopter crew reported being targeted by a laser pointer.
The person’s name was not immediately released.
The Coast Guard says a helicopter crew from Atlantic City was performing rescue training with a commercial tow boat crew off Ocean City when the incident occurred at 9 p.m. Tuesday. The boat crew notified Ocean City police, who responded to the area and took one person into custody.
Coast Guard Capt. Nicholas Bartolotta says pointing lasers at aircraft can temporarily blind pilots, endangering them and the public.
Federal aviation officials say there were more than 2,800 such incidents in the U.S. last year.
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