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 Trump, the affidavit says.
The court filing doesn't say if anybody aboard the helicopter noticed the laser. But the officer said Winkler's conduct could have temporarily blinded or disoriented a pilot, placing Marine One at risk of an airborne collision with other helicopters in the area.
“This behavior endangers Marine One and everyone on board," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement. "If you engage in this act, you will be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Winkler told investigators that he points the laser “at all kinds of things, such as stop signs,” and didn't know he couldn't point it at Marine One, the affidavit says. Investigators also found a small knife in his possession, according to the officer.
A Marine salutes as Marine One carrying President Donald Trump lands at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk after arriving on Marine One at Stansted Airport, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Stansted, England. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Vince Zampella, one of the creators behind best-selling video games such as “Call of Duty,” has died. He was 55.
Video game company Electronic Arts said Zampella died Sunday. The company did not disclose his cause of death.
In 2010, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of EA, and he also was the former chief executive of video game developer Infinity Ward, the studio behind the successful “Call of Duty” franchise.
A spokesperson for Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday that Zampella's influence on the video game industry was “profound and far-reaching."
“A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players connect for generations to come,” a company spokesperson wrote.
One of Zampella's crowning achievements was the creation of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than half a billion games worldwide,
The first person shooter game debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulation and has sold over 500 million copies globally. Subsequent versions have delved into modern warfare and there is a live-action movie based on the game in production with Paramount Pictures.
In recent years, Zampella has been at the helm of the creation of the action adventure video games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Geoff Keighley, video game journalist and co-creator of The Game Awards, said he was shocked to hear of Zampella's sudden death.
“Vince was an extraordinary person —- a gamer at heart, but also a visionary executive with a rare ability to recognize talent and give people the freedom and confidence to create something truly great,” Keighley wrote on social media on Monday.
“I’ll miss our dinners and long conversations. And while he created some of the most influential games of our time, I always felt he still had his greatest one ahead of him. It’s heartbreaking that we’ll never get to play it,” he added.
FILE - Three versions of Activision's Call Of Duty games are seen on sale at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011. Vincent Zampella, one of the creators behind such best-selling video games "Call of Duty," has died at 55. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma,File)
