A drone that fell from the sky and injured fans at a Boston Celtics viewing party Tuesday night was piloted by a Cable News Network employee, authorities said.
Hundreds of people were gathered at City Hall Plaza in Boston for a celebration of the defending NBA champions when the drone crashed around 8 p.m., causing non-life-threatening injuries to two people, Boston police said.
In a police report shared with Boston 25 News on Wednesday, officers stated that one person struck by the drone was “bleeding profusely” from his right hand, while the second person complained of “significant pain” in her head, neck and shoulder areas. .
Several people saw the woman being taken away on a stretcher after she was hit by the drone.
Police said a CNN employee was flying the drone and collecting video of a stage performance when he flew it between two trees and accidentally hit a light police officer, causing the drone to crash into the crowd below.
The employee was issued a permit by the FAA to fly the drone, which was described as a “DJI Mavic 3 Cine” model, police noted.
Derek Scrima told Boston 25 that the unmanned aerial vehicle severed his two fingers when it crashed.
“I was completely blindsided, it was scary because my mind thought my two fingers could have just been cut off,” Scrima said.
The Celtics viewing party was hosted by TNT.
In a statement, the television network said: “Unfortunately, there was an incident involving a drone and fans attending tonight’s event. Medical and security personnel on site immediately investigated the situation. We are currently investigating further and wish everyone involved the best.”
No charges have been filed in connection with the incident.
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