FAA: Flight on approach to Newark hit with laser light

Another plane reported having a green laser pointed at it on approach to Newark Airport on Tuesday night.

The FAA said United Airlines flight 1550, originating from Raleigh, N.C., reported a laser being shined at it around 7:25 p.m. when it was 14 miles southwest of Newark Liberty Airport.

The plane landed safely with no injuries according to the FAA.

The incident is the latest in a series of laser incidents this year involving planes aircraft in the skies over New Jersey and New York. Twenty incidents were reported in one day on Nov. 12, including one where a laser was pointed at the ABC 7 helicopter as it covered a story in Elizabeth. In July, 12 planes were targeted in one night.

According to the FAA, as of Oct. 16, 55 flights in or out of Newark, 65 from LaGuardia and 17 from JFK had been hit by laser light in 2015.

"Shining a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime that the U.S. vigorously pursues," the FAA said in a statement last month. "Lasers distract pilots from their safety duties and can lead to temporary blindness during critical phases of flight, such as takeoff and landing. In some cases in the past, pilots have reported eye injuries that required medical treatment"

An offender could face a five-year jail sentence and a $250,000 fine. No arrests have ever been made in any of the recent incidents nor have authorities announced any connection made among them.