Not Again, Part Deux

We were really hoping we'd heard the last of this... but evidently, some people still think it's cool to shine lasers at aircraft passing overhead.

New York police say the latest to point a laser at an aircraft is 19-year-old Anthony Pepe, who allegedly shined his laser pointer at an NYPD police helicopter late Monday night... temporarily blinding the officers at the controls.

Pepe the third man in the New York region to be charged with shining a laser at an aircraft in less than a year... after Pedro Vega, who was charged with a variety of offenses... including interference with transportation, and assault... after authorities said he beamed a laser pointer into the cockpit of a WNBC television helicopter last December.

And then there was the case of David Baranch... who pleaded guilty earlier this year to a violation of the USA Patriot Act, after he shined a laser at two pilots onboard a charter flight from Boca Raton, FL... causing the pilots to temporarily lose sight of their instruments, as they were on approach to land.

FMI: www.faa.gov