A man in Saratoga Springs, New York, has been charged after allegedly pointing a laser at a state police helicopter. According to the authorities, the helicopter was conducting a training exercise at the time.
As reported by Saratoga TODAY, citing the New York State Police, the incident occurred on Thursday, June 12. At around 10:10 p.m., State Police Aribus H14D3 was conducting a training exercise.
Suddenly, a laser was shone toward the helicopter. A “temporary visual disturbance” followed, which forced the helicopter to alter its trajectory, putting a halt to the training exercise being conducted.
The helicopter managed to land safely shortly after, and no troopers were injured as a result of the laser incident. Authorities immediately began investigating, with NYSP involving the FBI and the FAA.
Flight Records Show Sudden Altitude Drop
Flightradar24 provided flight records to the outlet, which showed that the helicopter took off from Albany International Airport at around 9:30 p.m. The helicopter’s flight path places it around Saratoga County.
Initially, the helicopter flew at about 2,000 feet. However, at around 10:06 p.m., the helicopter lost altitude, reaching 875 feet, potentially caused by the laser. Minutes later, at approximately 10:12 p.m., the aircraft returned to 2,000 feet.
The helicopter resumed its flight path, headed north. At around 11:40 p.m., the police chopper returned to Albano International Airport.
Suspect Identified and Arrested
The investigations determined that the laser had been pointed from Louden Road in Saratoga Springs. The very next day, authorities located 20-year-old Daymian Massago and placed him under arrest.
Massago is accused of intentionally shining the laser toward the helicopter. He is charged with felony directing a laser at an aircraft.
While federal charges are still to be filed, as per Saratoga TODAY, if convicted, he could spend up to four years behind bars. As per the Daily Voice, he was issued an appearance ticket and has since been released from custody.
A Warning
On Facebook, the NYSP recently shared a public safety advisory following the events days earlier. The state police detailed that pointing a laser at an aircraft is both a federal crime and a violation of New York State law.
The NYSP explained that such lasers could have dangerous and potentially fatal results. This is because the laser beams could temporarily blind, distract, or even disorient pilots during flight, with even the shortest of laser strikes posing a huge risk given the resulting glare inside the cabin.