Laser pointer

This screen grab from a video created for the FAA and U.S. Air Force shows what pilots see when a laser pointer shines into a cockpit. The green flash is from a laser pointer. (Courtesy of the FBI)

NEWARK -- An Elizabeth man admitted in federal court Tuesday that he aimed a laser pointer at a television news helicopter, an act that could have blinded the pilot.

According to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, Stiven Lopez-Bender, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. Lopez-Bender entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty.

According to Fishman's office, on Nov. 11, 2015, a television news helicopter went to Elizabeth to cover the story of a house fire. Lopez-Bender admitted that he aimed a green laser pointer at it and struck the flight deck of the helicopter through the main windshield. The WABC-TV news helicopter was at an altitude of about 1,000 feet, court records said.

Lopez-Bender also admitted that he struck the helicopter twice more with the laser pointer when he left his vehicle and walked to an apartment. He hit it a fourth time from an apartment window, he told the court, prosecutors said.

The news crew recorded the incident and reported it to police.

The charge to which Lopez-Bender pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 28.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, aircraft operators reported being targeted by lasers nearly 4,000 times in 2014. In about 58 of those cases, pilots suffered some sort of eye injury, according to laserpointersafety.com, a site that tracks such incidents.

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.