Man Arrested for Shining Laser at Coast Guard Helicopter

Ocean City police arrested a 21-year-old Mantua man Tuesday night and charged him with shining a laser pointer at a Coast Guard helicopter from the Boardwalk near Eighth Street.

A crew from the Coast Guard Air Station in Egg Harbor Township was training in hoist rescues with a TowBoatUS crew when the helicopter was targeted with a laser pointer shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. The crews were about two miles off the coast of Ocean City. The TowBoatUS crew called the Ocean City Police Department.

Ocean City police arrived in time to witness a man shining a green laser device into the sky over the Atlantic Ocean, according to Ocean City Police Capt. Steven Ang.

After being taken into custody, the suspect, Eric J. Bouda, said he had just purchased the laser pointer for $30 at a local business on the boardwalk. He was charged with interference with transportation and released on a summons. 

The investigation was conducted by Ptl. Tom Finnegan and Ptl. Brandon Smith.

“Educating the public on how detrimental lasers can be to our aircrews is key," said Capt. Nicholas Bartolotta, commanding officer Air Station Atlantic City. "Pointing lasers at aircraft jeopardizes the safety of the Coast Guard and commercial airliners and needs to be stopped.” 

In various news reports from last summer, the Ocean City Boardwalk was identified as the source of several laser-pointer incidents in complaints from pilots to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants Association President Wes Kazmarck said Wednesday that he asked store owners last summer to stop selling the devices voluntarily, but he said full compliance would be impossible without an official ban or regulation.

"Even the small laser pointers that are sold to the general public, when pointed at an aircraft, can have serious and disastrous effects on a pilots’ vision," the Coast Guard said in a news release "There is a significant risk to flight safety, especially for helicopters working low altitudes and aircraft taking off or landing. If any aircrew member’s vision is compromised during a flight, Coast Guard flight rules dictate that the aircraft must abort their mission. Laser pointers can cause the pilot to see a glare, afterimage, have flash blindness or can even cause temporary loss of night vision."

New Jersey law prohibits the interference with transportation vehicles including autos, aircraft or boats.  In addition, federal charges can be brought against the convicted person and can carry a sentence up to 20 years in prison in addition to fines.

The Coast Guard reminds the public to report laser incidents immediately by calling 911.