Medford Man Charged for Shining Laser into Helicopter

A Medford man was arrested and charged in federal court last week for shining a laser into a State Police helicopter last December.

Gerard Sasso, 49, was charged in a Complaint with interfering with the operation of an aircraft with reckless disregard for the safety of human life and with making false statements. Sasso is alleged to have repeatedly pointed a powerful green laser beam with a range of up to three miles at a State Police helicopter that was escorting an LNG tanker through Boston Harbor on December 7, 2007.

According to police, the helicopter pilots were forced to take “evasive action” to avoid looking into the laser’s light and had to abandon their escort mission to track down the laser beam’s source for their own safety and for the safety of planes landing at Logan Airport.

Sasso is also charged with making false statements for denying owning any lasers and any involvement in the incident before eventually confessing to police. Police seized the laser as well as nine others from Sasso’s home.

According to the Complaint, the laser Sasso allegedly used in the incident is commonly used in light shows and for research and industrial applications. The laser created a risk of burning and potential blindness at distances of up to a kilometer and also ran the risk of startling, distracting, disorienting, and even temporarily blinding the helicopter pilots at distances of up to three miles.

Sasso faces a maximum penalty of twenty years’ imprisonment, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the charge of interfering with the operation of an aircraft, and a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the false statements charge.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

– InsideMedford.com