this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2026
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A man who aimed a green laser pointer at a Delta Air Lines flight on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. During the March 2024 incident, Joseph L. Crapsi, 31, of Cheektowaga, repeatedly aimed the laser at the aircraft during the critical phase of flight.

According to one of the pilots, the attack lasted between 60 and 90 seconds, adding that he felt "something horrible would happen." Laser attacks are a serious threat that can temporarily blind pilots and, in severe cases, cause permanent damage, as well as endanger the safety of an aircraft and its occupants.

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[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Physical age all too often bears little resemblance to maturity level. Proof of this is given constantly by the current USA administration.

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That's true, but the 31-year-old has had plenty of opportunity to mature and chose not to, while the 16-year-old at least has the benefit of the doubt.

[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 1 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (2 children)

I'm not entirely disagreeing, but just want to point out that some may have challenges most others don't have in maturing. Speaking from personal experience, I was extremely mature in some ways at a young age, but - due to multiple factors I won't go into here - there were some other key areas in which I didn't start maturing until well into my 40s, and the reason I say this is because that was NOT by any real choice on my part.

What this guy did was obviously wrong, but it's only obvious to those of us who fully understand the problems with doing what he did. He may not have had opportunity to come to that understanding, or - for any of a number of possible reasons - it didn't fully sink in.

Ultimately, my point is that we shouldn't jump to conclusions about what an asshole this guy may be without full knowledge of how he came to wind up doing it. We too often assume everybody knows it's a stupid thing to do, but his life circumstances may not have given him the chance to learn what "everybody knows."

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I am agreeing with you, but blinding a pilot with a laser is beyond fucked up. And that is something you should know no matter how impaired you are. I'm not saying you should know it because it's obvious if you think about it. But society should teach that. This idiot endangered thousands of lives. Imagine the plane would have crashed into a mall for example. Or the gates in the airport.

[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Society should do LOTS of things it doesn't - often deliberately due to certain factions within it. Those things are even more destructive, as our current climate crisis is starting to prove.

This guy may just have been a minor side effect of the ever-present power struggle going on within our society.

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 1 points 21 hours ago

Probably. Someone out there probably loves the poorly educated 😐

[–] bekopharm@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Powerful green lasers do not come with a common newspaper subscription and their shipping boxes are covered in warning labels.

This was a deliberate choice to do wrong.

[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today -3 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

I can't help but feel you're being deliberately obtuse & judgemental, so I'm done with this circular argument (and yes, I'm aware you're not the person I was speaking to, but you're repeating the same assumptions). It seems to me you have some maturing of your own still left to do.

[–] bekopharm@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Out of arguments, I see. So let's discredited the other person's accountability *slowclap

[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 0 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

"Out of arguments?" Against the same "arguments" I've already shot down? Alright, ya got me - I couldn't come up with different arguments against someone's repeat of the same arguments I already beat down.

🙄

Bugs Bunny saying "What a maroon!"