BOSTON – Two people were arrested in Boston on Saturday evening for what police described as a “dangerous drone operation.”
Robert Duffy, 42, of Charlestown, and 32-year-old Jeremy Folcik of Bridgewater were arrested on Long Island in Boston Harbor.
Both men are suspected of trespassing. Additional fines or fees may be added, Boston police said.
Drone arrests in Boston
According to Boston Police, an officer spotted an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) flying near Logan Airport. The officer was able to find the drone’s location, altitude and flight history and track the operator to Long Island.
Because the drones were close to Logan Airport airspace, Boston Police worked with Homeland Security, Massachusetts State Police, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Logan Airport Air Traffic Control as part of its research.
Three people were found at the Long Island Health Campus, which is no longer in use.
When police arrived, they said one of the suspects had run away. Duffy and Folcik were taken into custody. Officers said they found a drone in Duffy’s backpack. The third suspect is said to have fled the area in a small boat.
Duffy and Folcik will be arraigned in Dorchester District Court in the coming days.
Drones in Massachusetts
Boston Police reminded the public that recreational drone operators must follow FAA guidelines. Drones are not allowed to fly over people or vehicles and operators must follow airspace restrictions.
“Even a small drone hit by a jet flying 200 miles per hour will exert thousands of pounds of force,” says pilot Patrick Smith. “That said, it’s unlikely that a small hobby drone could crash a plane, a large plane, but it is possible. And you certainly have the possibility of millions of dollars in damage.”
Drone sightings were reported on Cape Cod for about 30 minutes Thursday evening. People reported seeing drones with flashing red, green and blue lights.
Harwich Police Chief Kevin Considine spoke with WBZ-TV about how difficult it is for local departments to monitor drone sightings.
“They are difficult to manage, and so the first thing we did today was to submit our report to our local federal government and state police partners so they could investigate,” Considine said.
Dozens of other drone reports have come in from across Massachusetts, most recently from Marshfield, Natick and Tewksbury.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and state police are working with local and federal partners, and they are prepared to support federal authorities with jurisdiction over airspace,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said in a statement.
Drones from New Jersey
Mysterious drone sightings have been reported in the air of New Jersey the past few weeks.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking for more help from the federal government.
Murphy told Biden that the ongoing sightings raise more questions than answers, adding that people “deserve more concrete information.”
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