Kihei man charged in laser strikes on FBI aircraft

April 15, 2026

Summary

Federal prosecutors said a Kihei man admitted aiming a laser pointer at an FBI aircraft during a January 2024 surveillance flight.

Why this matters

Laser strikes can endanger pilots and aircraft, and federal authorities say Hawaii has one of the highest rates of such incidents in the country. The case also highlights legal disputes over search warrants and evidence in federal investigations.

A 33-year-old Kihei man is facing federal charges after investigators said he admitted aiming a laser pointer at an FBI aircraft during a surveillance operation in January 2024.

Jesse Kong was originally charged Aug. 21 with aiming a black VASTFIRE laser pointer at an aircraft. He was also charged April 6 with being an accessory after the fact for allegedly trying to “hinder and prevent” a friend’s “apprehension, trial, and punishment.” He is scheduled to make an initial appearance Wednesday in federal court on the accessory charge.

According to federal court records, the FBI was conducting a night surveillance operation over Kihei on Jan. 25, 2024, when pilots reported multiple laser strikes from a fixed location at the Paradise Gardens Apartment Complex on South Kihei Road. At about 10:30 p.m. and again at 10:51 p.m., the flight team reported additional strikes from the same location.

Court records said FBI aviators used infrared systems, GPS map overlays, optical thermal sensors, and target markers to locate the source of the beams. Maui Police Department officers responded to the parking lot identified by the FBI.

According to an FBI search warrant application, Kong told officers that a dark pickup truck carrying the people who lasered the aircraft had left before police arrived. When asked who did it, Kong said that “he wouldn’t rat on his friends,” according to the FBI. Two men with Kong also told officers an unidentified person had aimed the laser.

On Feb. 17, 2024, an FBI agent interviewed one of Kong’s friends, identified in court records as Lawai. After being told lasering an aircraft is a federal offense, Lawai allegedly said Kong aimed the laser. In a recorded call, Kong said, “No, you’re not going to get arrested, bro … the whole thing fell on me … But, um. Yeah, … I told him that freaking I was shining the laser and what?”

Kong’s attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Craig W. Jerome, moved March 30 to suppress evidence obtained in a March 6 search, arguing the warrant was overly broad, contained omissions and misstatements, and that it was unclear whether any laser was intentionally aimed at the aircraft. He also argued investigators minimized the seriousness of the offense and that Lawai was pressured into naming Kong.

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