Border Patrol aircraft have been targeted by lasers at least six times since October, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday.
The agency said its Air and Marine Operations helicopter was most recently hit by a laser on Feb. 9 while Air Interdiction Agents conducted border security missions near the McAllen International Airport in Texas. The patrol AS-350 helicopter was struck three times by a laser that reportedly came from a car on the Mexican riverbank, the CBP said in a news release Tuesday.
Another incident was reported in Jacksonville, Florida, on Jan. 9 where the same type of helicopter was targeted. One person was arrested in the incident, according to the news release. Shining a laser into an aircraft cockpit is a federal crime that could lead to 20 years in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine, the CBP said.
No injuries were reported in any of the sightings, the agency said, but it cautioned that tiny beams of lasers can potentially blind people and cause a collision or other incidents.
In December 2024, the FBI issued a similar warning following an increase in pilots being hit in the eyes with lasers.
Officials at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey said there were at least 15 laser strikes in 10 days that month. They said the incidents occurred due to people on the ground who believed they saw an unmanned aircraft system or a drone.
Laser incidents have been climbing in recent years, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2024, there were 12,840 reported incidents, slightly down from the record high reported in 2023.
