STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Dongan Hills man who police said forced an NYPD helicopter to change course with a laser pointer will spend the next year on Rikers Island.

Michael Bacchio, 51, of the 500 block of Naughton Avenue, was sentenced Aug. 16 in state Supreme Court, St. George by Justice Lisa Grey in connection with the May 4 incident. He pleaded guilty in July to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon to resolve the case.

On the night in question, the helicopter pilot was able to track a green light that illuminated the cockpit to the defendant below, according to a criminal complaint filed at the time of the incident. The next day, a judge issued a search warrant of Bacchio’s property.

Under the driver’s seat of his 2017 Dodge Ram was a loaded 9mm caliber Sig Sauer firearm with one round in the chamber and a 15-round magazine. Inside his apartment officers recovered two 9 mm magazines, five 12-gauge cartridges, one .44 cartridge on the kitchen table, brass knuckles and a dagger.

Also seized was a scale with cocaine residue, according to the complaint.

An attorney for Bacchio declined to comment on the case.

The defendant’s Facebook page is lined with posts opposing gun control laws in the U.S.

Said Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in regard to the sentence: “This defendant’s dangerous acts and possession of deadly weapons put the safety of others at serious risk, and thanks to the efficient, professional work of the NYPD and my office, specifically ADA Amir Fadl, he is now a convicted felon headed to prison as a result of his lawless conduct.”

“I remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively prosecute those who possess and use illegal weapons on Staten Island,” the borough’s top prosecutor continued.

The Staten Island man is not the first person to be arrested for the alleged misuse of a laser pointer.

Last summer, a 32-year-old man was accused of endangering a helicopter pilot flying over Long Island, 4 NewYork reported.

In April, three men were arrested in Elyria, Ohio, for allegedly shining lasers and a flashlight at a state highway patrol helicopter.

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