A man has been charged with a felony under a federal law that makes it illegal to point a laser at an aircraft.
The reasoning isn’t complicated. Lasers, even those hand-held pointer units, can blind a pilot, even injure his eyes, and when the pilot is in control of a jet the consequences can be dire.
In this case, it was President Donald Trump’s helicopter that allegedly was the target.
So Jacob Winkler was charged.
But now a magistrate judge, Zia Faruqui, has decided that Winkler doesn’t need to be kept in custody.
Investigative reporter Julie Kelly confirmed, “He [Faruqui] just denied Trump DOJ’s request to detain Jacob Winkler.
Speaking of DC Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui–he just denied Trump DOJ’s request to detain Jacob Winkler, who used a red laser against a a Secret Service officer then pointed it at the president’s helicopter as he took off from the White House last week.
“The red laser beam hit…
— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) September 25, 2025
Police reports confirmed, “The red laser beam hit Officer Santiago’s eyes and briefly disoriented him. At this time, Marine One flew at a relatively low height and directly above Officer Santiago and [Winkler’s] location. Marine One was close enough that the rotor noise was loud, and the aircraft appeared large overhead. Officer Santiago approached [Winkler] after being flashed in the face with the red laser. Upon approach, [Winkler] looked up, oriented the same red laser pointer at the direction of Marine One and activated the red laser beam.”
A report at the Gateway Pundit explained the situation.
“Radical magistrate judge denied the Justice Department’s request to detain a man who tried to take down Marine One with a red laser pointer.”
The federal complaint said Winkler immediately was handcuffed, but it also noted the danger of “risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation,” especially in a presidential helicopter flying at low altitudes.
Winkler was charged with 18 U.S. Code § 39A, a law that prohibits aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.
The penalties under the law could be up to five years in prison.