A comprehensive resource for safe and responsible laser use

US: Laser aimed at medical helicopter near Pittsburgh

A medical helicopter was targeted by a laser pointer, on September 19 2012 in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Brookline. Although police searched for a suspect, no person was caught immediately. The investigation continues.

The director of operations for STAT MedEvac said that the medical helicopter is hit by lasers several times a year, and that the hits “can kill people.”

From WTAE.com

US: UPDATED - Student faces three legal actions after lasing medical helicopter from tower

University of Pittsburgh student James Gabriel Parisi is in trouble with the university, local police and the Federal Aviation Administration after he admitted aiming a laser towards medical helicopters.

Paresi, 20, faces university judicial board hearings with penalties that could include expulsion. He was also charged by University of Pittsburgh police with two felony counts of “causing or risking a catastrophe.” Finally, an FAA spokesperson said they will pursue civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.

On July 17 2011, at midnight and again at 3 am, medical evacuation helicopters reported seeing green beams coming from the University’s “Cathedral of Learning” skyscraper. Police confronted a group of students leaving the building after the second laser incident. Parisi, 20, spoke privately to an officer and said that he was the one who had been using a laser pointer.

Parisi was also found to have a fake Virginia driver’s license. He was additionally charged by the police with carrying a false identification card.


The 42-story Cathedral of Learning is the tallest educational building in the Western hemisphere. Photo by Flickr user bombnomnom (Anthony Velázquez) under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.


From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

UPDATED February 28 2012: Parisi is awaiting trial on two state felony counts of “risking a catastrophe”. He could be fined up to $15,000 and receive up to seven years in prison on each charge. In addition, he faces $11,000 in fines from the FAA on each count. His attorney was quoted as saying “My client is a good kid. He just made a mistake. He obviously regrets anything that happened that night.” From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.