Search on for Culprit Who Pointed Laser At Plane Over Mattituck

The search is on for a culprit who pointed a laser at an aircraft flying over Mattituck Monday, police said.

According to New York State Police, the incident took place at 11:30 p.m. when T.F. Green Airport Police out of Warwick, Rhode Island, informed New York State Police Troop L Headquarters of a laser pointing incident originating from the North Shore of Long Island.

In the United States, a federal law makes it illegal to aim a laser pointer at an aircraft, or the flight path of an aircraft.

The incident reportedly involved a United Airlines Flight which departed Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, en route to Rhode Island, police said.

The first officer of the airline reported that, while traveling approximately 11,000 feet in a northwest direction, a green laser beam was observed in the cockpit while flying over the area of Mattituck.

Units from the State Police barracks in Riverside and the Southold Police Department responded and searched the area with negative results, police said.

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said town police assisted state police Monday night by sending several officers to check various beaches on the Long Island Sound.

The Federal Aviation Administration New York Terminal Radar Approach Control Office, or TRACON, was contacted and confirmed the United Airlines incident. The New York State Police in conjunction with the FAA Rhode Island Office is actively investigating the matter.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the New York State Police at 631-756-3300. All calls will be kept confidential.