Story highlights Five planes reported lasers to the Newark airport tower between 10 and 11 p.m. Wednesday, Port Authority says

Crew members of American, JetBlue, United and Delta flights were among those affected, the FAA reports

Thousands of laser attacks on airplanes are reported each year, and they are on the rise

(CNN) Twelve 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.

There was no indication the 23 incidents detailed Thursday and Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration led to any notable injuries or accidents, in the air or on the ground. Still, they speak to an alarming trend in which more and more people are directing powerful handheld lasers at passing aircraft -- endangering crews, not to mention the passengers they are responsible for.

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.

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