BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Federal authorities say a 29-year-old Cheektowaga man is facing charges after an investigation found he allegedly pointed a laser at a Delta Airlines flight.
Investigators say they determined Joseph Crapsi aimed a laser pointer at an aircraft approaching the Buffalo Niagara International Airport on March 1. They say a Delta pilot reported the green laser just after midnight to Buffalo Air Traffic Control. According to the pilot, the laser was pointed at the aircraft one mile south of the approach and lasted between 60-90 seconds.
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police responded to the areas of Genesee Street, Dick Road and Cayuga Street in Cheektowaga to investigate but they say they were unable to find anything.
A short time later, NFTA police discovered that Cheektowaga police responded to calls of a laser being pointed inside a house. Officers went to the home on Nagel Drive where Crapsi's parents allowed officers to enter. Authorities then say they recovered a laser pointer in Crapsi's bedroom.
Officers say they also spoke with a neighbor who reported a green laser was shining through his kitchen window and blinded him. The neighbor told officers he saw the laser for about 15 minutes and witnessed it being pointed into the sky multiple times.
Crapsi made an initial appearance in federal court and was then released.
The defendant is charged by criminal complaint with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, which carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
