A man accused of shining laser pointers into the cockpits of arriving and departing flights at LaGuardia airport may be vindicated, now that his housemate and future brother-in-law has come forward to admit he was responsible for the crime.
Frank Egan, 36, was arrested this week after police investigators accused him of shooting his pointer at incoming planes and an NYPD helicopter, which can injure pilots' eyes. But yesterday, his housemate and brother-in-law Elehecer Balaguer told a State Supreme Court that he was the culprit, not Egan. "Frank had nothing to do with it. I was the one that did it," he said, according to the Times. "It was just like a kid thing. It was a stupid thing to do."
Egan, a florist, had already been charged with felony assault and four counts of reckless endangerment, and police say he admitted to pointing the lasers, an admission Egan denied on Friday. Balaguer, who has previously served time, had a pot-related warrant out for his arrest, though he pleaded guilty for it soon after his admission.
Three pilots suffered eye injuries thanks to the laser-pointing activities in question, which officers tracked down to the Bronx apartment building where Egan and Balaguer live. They also found a device, marked "Laser 303," in Egan's apartment, leading to his arrest. Balaguer claims he purchased the laser in Florida. Charges against Egan have not yet been dismissed, and he's due back in court next month.
