Colts Neck Man Pointed Laser At Federal Aircraft: Complaint

COLTS NECK, NJ — A Colts Neck man has been charged with pointing a laser at a federal aircraft amidst mass reports of unidentified drones throughout New Jersey, Acting US Attorney Vikas Khanna said.

James Pedone, 27, of Colts Neck, was charged by complaint with knowingly aiming the beam of a laser at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, Khanna said.

The incident occurred in December when local and federal authorities were receiving mass reports of unidentified drones throughout New Jersey.

In Monmouth County, officials called for a State of Emergency over the drones, and drone flights were temporarily banned over sites in Colts Neck, Howell and Brick.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that a number of the drones were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for research.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, the laser incident occurred around 8 p.m. on Dec. 12, 2024.

Two federal law enforcement agents were flying over a group of residential homes in Colts Neck when they saw a green laser strike the bottom of their aircraft, the complaint said.

The agents started to turn around to find where the laser had come from when, shortly after the first strike, the agents saw a second laser hit the aircraft.

By then, the agents were able to identify a Colts Neck home as the source of the lasers and use onboard camera equipment to record the home. Shortly after that, the complaint said the aircraft was struck again by a laser coming from that area.

Using the onboard camera equipment, one of the agents saw someone wearing dark-colored clothing standing near the Colts Neck home and pointing a green laser at the aircraft, with a second person wearing light-colored clothing standing nearby.

The agents notified air traffic controllers of the three laser strikes on the aircraft and informed air traffic controller personnel that the lasers came from the area of the home, the complaint said.

Within 30 minutes of the strikes being reported, police arrived at the Colts Neck home and saw Pedone, wearing dark-colored clothing, and a woman, wearing light-colored clothing, through a window adjacent to the front door.

When police told Pedone about the recent report of lasers striking an aircraft, the complaint said he denied that he or the woman had pointed a laser at an aircraft that evening.

A few days later, on Dec. 19, federal law enforcement agents interviewed Pedone.

During the interview, the complaint said Pedone told the agents that he pointed a green laser at the aircraft “once or twice” on Dec. 12 after mistaking it for a drone. After speaking with police on Dec. 12, Pedone also told the agents that he disposed of the green laser pointer, the complaint said.

Pedone had an initial appearance before US Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court on Feb. 13, Khanna said. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as a $250,000 fine, according to officials.

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