July 26--A 14-year-old Brentwood boy has been identified by authorities as the person who shined a green laser into the cockpit of a Suffolk County police helicopter Monday night.
The teen, whose name was withheld, has so far not been arrested or charged with a crime.
Police, in conjunction with the FBI, are investigating to see whether the boy has pointed lasers at other aircraft, including JetBlue Flight 657 as it flew over Suffolk the night of July 15.
"The investigation is ongoing," Insp. Stuart Cameron, head of the Suffolk police special patrol bureau, said Wednesday. "Charges may be pending."
Monday's incident occurred as officers Thomas Smith and Richard Sereno were searching for a burglary suspect in the Central Islip area.
"They were hit with a green laser beam from a distance of a half-mile away," Cameron said. "They turned and flew in the direction of the laser beam, and they were hit multiple times."
With Smith piloting, the officers managed to pinpoint the location of the laser and alert officers on the ground.
No one has been arrested in the JetBlue incident, police said. In that case, the pilot suffered an eye injury from a green laser aimed at the cockpit. The jetliner landed safely at Kennedy Airport.
Copyright 2012 - Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
