Reportedly Admitted Lighting Up Two Aircraft

A New Jersey man has admitted he flashed a laser on not one, but two aircraft near Teterboro Airport. Now, David Banach of Parsippany faces charges under the federal government's Patriot Act.

As ANN reported Monday, at first, detectives say Banach told them his daughter had shone the green laser on a police helicopter after he gave her the device as a present. But later, he admitted to investigators that he had flashed the laser at a Port Authority Police helicopter on Friday and at two aircraft landing at Teterboro prior to that.

Banach was arraigned before a federal magistrate on Tuesday and freed on $100,000 bond.

"One would think they would want to devote their time and resources to prosecuting real terrorists, not people like my client," Banach's lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, told the Associated Press after the court proceeding. She said she was angry that the government had charged Banach under the Patriot Act -- generally used to prosecute terrorists. Mendola-Longarzo painted her client as "your average guy, a family man" who was simply playing around with a handheld pointer.

"He wasn't trying to harm any person, any aircraft or anything like that," she told the AP.

On the other hand...

Joseph Billy, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark bureau was quoted as telling the AP, "What was done was foolhardy and negligent. While this particular incident was not terrorism-related, the FBI considers this an extremely serious matter. Not only was the safety of the pilot and passengers placed in jeopardy by Banach's actions; so were countless innocent civilians on the ground in this densely populated area."

Federal authorities continue to investigate a rash of similar incidents nationwide. So far, agents say there doesn't appear to be a link between the laser illuminations and terrorism -- but they're still checking.

FMI: www.fbi.gov, www.dhs.gov