(CNN)Thirty-four commercial flights reported lasers pointed at them Wednesday night as they flew over New Jersey -- the latest in a growing number of such dangerous incidents plaguing U.S. skies......
About half of the incidents reported by the FAA were close to Newark Liberty International Airport, while the others occurred elsewhere in New Jersey -- from Robbinsville, near the Pennsylvania border, to Ocean City, along the Atlantic Ocean in the southeast corner of the state.
Three American Airlines planes were among those affected, as were two from JetBlue and one each from United, Delta and Republic.
Five planes informed air traffic controllers in the Newark Liberty tower "that lasers were being pointed at them" between 10 and 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to Ron Marisco, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the Newark airport as well as Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York.
"The incidents are under investigation," Marisco said.
So-called laser attacks aren't unprecedented, but they are on the rise, as handheld lasers become more common and affordable. There were 3,894 such strikes reported in 2014, the FAA says. For comparison's sake, there were only 283 in 2005.
That works out to about 10.5 incidents a day. But that's nationwide, so the 11 reported attacks over New Jersey alone in one night do seem to stand out.
More at this link.