Lasers Hit 11 Flights Over NJ Last Night: Reports

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after 11 commercial flights reported they were illuminated by lasers while flying over New Jersey last night. The FAA says the incidents occurred between 9pm and 10:30pm and that the lasers hit the left and right sides of the cockpits, along with the sides of the planes. There were no reports of injuries. Lasers can distract or temporarily blind pilots; pointing one at a plane is a federal crime.

The FAA says at least three of the incidents involved flights near Newark Liberty International Airport. Three flights were at 3,000 feet and were four miles south of the Outerbridge Crossing bridge, which connects Perth Amboy in New Jersey to Staten Island. One flight was headed to LaGuardia Airport. (More Federal Aviation Administration stories.)