More planes hit by laser pointers over New Jersey

Four more planes in and around New Jersey were hit by laser pointers on Thursday night.

Police use a laser pointer (Milos Bicanski/Getty images)

The Federal Aviation Administration says the planes were hit around the same time period, of 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., as 12 planes on Wednesday. The beams came from many of the same areas, including another two in the Robbinsville vicinity. The pilot of a FedEx flight that was struck just after takeoff from Newark Liberty Airport reported an unspecified injury.

One of the planes on Thursday reported being struck as it flew over the Stroudsburg, Pa., area to the west of New Jersey on approach to Newark.

Thursday night's affected flights:

ExpressJet 4565, a Newark arrival, was at 8,500 feet, over the Stroudsburg-Pocono, Pa., area.
FedEx flight 1607, a Newark departure, was at 2,000 feet, six miles southwest of Newark. One pilot reported an injury.
Shuttle America 5956, a LaGuardia arrival, was at 9,000 feet, seven miles northeast of Robbinsville.
United 369, a LaGuardia arrival, was at 9,000 feet, seven miles east of Robbinsville.

The FAA reiterated in a statement that "shining a laser into an aircraft cockpit is a federal crime and violators may be subject to fines and time in jail. The FAA investigates each incident and works closely with law enforcement."

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Atlantic/Cape May/Cumberland) tells the Press of Atlantic City he will renew his efforts to ban laser pointers.

“High-powered lasers that can go thousands of feet in the air should be outlawed and should not be available to the public,” said Van Drew in a statement.

Gov. Christie vetoed Van Drew's bill proposing a ban in 2014.