Two Men Arrested for Flying Drone ‘Dangerously Close’ to Boston Airport

Two men were arrested for allegedly flying a drone “dangerously close” to a Boston airport this weekend.

Robert Duffy and Jeremy Folcik were arrested and taken into custody on Saturday evening after they allegedly conducted a “hazardous drone operation” near Logan airport in Boston, U.S.

42-year-old Duffy and 32-year-old Folick were apprehended on one of the Boston Harbor Islands around 10.20 P.M.

The two men, who are both residents of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, were charged with trespassing.

A third suspect is believed to have fled the scene “in a small vessel” and a search is ongoing according to Boston police.

A Boston police officer specializing in crime surveillance first detected the drone near Logan around 4:30 P.M. the same day. They were able to use advanced technology to track the drone’s location, altitude, and flight history.

When police responded, three suspects fled on foot and Duffy and Folcik were apprehended, with a drone found in Duffy’s backpack. A search is ongoing for the third suspect.

“Even small drones pose significant risks, including the potential for catastrophic damage to airplanes and helicopters,” Boston police say in a statement. “Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk.”

Mysterious Drone Sightings Continue in New Jersey

The arrests come as mysterious drone sightings continue in New Jersey and across the eastern U.S.

Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing a cluster of large drones — some as big as cars — in New Jersey almost every night since November 18.

The FBI has been investigating the drones which have been flying in several areas including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.

The White House and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety or national security.

However, New Jersey residents continue to be concerned and confused by the sightings — especially as it seems unlikely that the drones belonged to a recreational group, given that some were reported to be the size of a small car.

“There are more than one million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby says in a statement on Monday.

“And there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist, and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day. That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.”