Laser Pointed at Helicopter Over Haddonfield Sunday, Juvenile Admits Fault

A 16-year-old Bellevue Avenue boy told police he targeted a medevac helicopter with a laser pointer at 10:21 p.m. Sunday.

The juvenile's name was not released and he was not taken into custody, Lt. Ted Stussey of Haddonfield Police said. Charges may be pending.

Stussey said the juvenile voluntarily turned over the laser pointer. The boy said he was playing with it when the incident occurred. There were adults in the home at the time, Stussey said.

The targeted helicopter remained in the sky over the area near Warwick and Chews Landing roads during the nearly hourlong search for the laser. Philadelphia police also assisted in the search, according to borough Commissioner Ed Borden, the director of public safety. The helicopter was cleared from the scene at 11:01 p.m.

No injuries were reported by the flight crew. Laser pointers pose serious risk to pilots by compromising their vision. Laser pointers, even small ones, can cause pilots to see a glare, have flash blindness or possibly cause temporary loss of night vision.

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