Man charged with shining laser pointer at Marine One with Trump aboard

Source: Associated Press

Man charged with shining laser pointer at Marine One with Trump aboard

MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Mon, September 22, 2025 at 2:51 PM EDT
2 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man accused of shining a laser pointer at Marine One with President Donald Trump aboard the helicopter has been arrested on a federal criminal charge, according to a court filing on Monday.

Jacob Samuel Winkler, 33, of Washington, D.C., is charged with aiming the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft, a felony punishable by a maximum prison sentence of five years. Online court records don't list an attorney representing him.

Marine One was airborne on Saturday near the White House when a U.S. Secret Service patrol officer spotted Winkler walking on a sidewalk, shirtless and loudly talking to himself, the officer wrote in an affidavit. The officer said he shone a flashlight at Winkler, who apparently retaliated by flashing a red laser beam at the officer's face.

As Marine One flew over their heads, Winkler looked up and shined the laser pointer at the helicopter, according to the officer. After the officer handcuffed him, Winkler repeatedly talked about apologizing to Donald Trump, the affidavit says.

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