Two people were arrested for allegedly conducting a ‘hazardous drone operation’ near a Massachusetts airport as people in New Jersey demand answers for similar sightings.
Robert Duffy, 42, of Charlestown, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, of Bridgewater, were taken into custody Saturday evening after flying an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) near Boston’s Logan Airport.
The incident began at 4.30pm ET when a police officer specializing in real-time crime surveillance detected the UAS, which was smaller than the crafts being reported in New Jersey.
‘Leveraging advanced UAS monitoring technology, the Officer identified the drone’s location, altitude, flight history, and the operators’ position on Long Island,’ which is located in the Boston Harbor on the approach to the airport, the department added.
Officers were dispatched to that location and found three individuals inside the decommissioned Long Island Health Campus, finding a drone inside a backpack carried by Duffy.
However, one of the individuals fled the scene using a ‘small vessel’ docked on the island located in Boston Harbor.
Duffy and Folcik are currently charged with trespassing, but they could face more charges and fines as the investigation unfolds, the department stated.
Their arrest comes as unexplained drone sightings have mounted throughout the Northeast, which have been spotted over military bases and airports in recent weeks.
Two men were arrested in Massachusetts late Saturday night for flying a drone ‘dangerously close’ to Boston’s Logan International Airport
There is no evidence to suggest Duffy and Folcik are tied to the large drones plaguing states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.
However, an airport in Orange County, New York was forced to shut down on Friday night due to a drone in its airspace.
The drone sightings began in mid-November when drones were spotted over the US Army’s Picatinny Arsenal and President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster — both in New Jersey.
In the weeks that followed, similar drones were reported throughout the state and have since spread to other states in the region.
The FBI is investigating the mysterious activity, but so far, the government claims there is nothing suspicious about the activity.
Federal agencies will also aid the investigation into the recent drone flight over Logan Airport due to the ‘serious risks posed by the drone’s proximity to Logan’s airspace,’ Boston police stated.
Those agencies include the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Federal Communications Commission, who will work in partnership with Massachusetts State Police and Logan Airport Air Traffic Control.
Though the drone allegedly operated by Duffy and Folcik is much smaller than the ones that have sparked panic throughout the Northeast, it still posed a serious threat to Logan Airport’s airspace.
‘Even small drones pose significant risks, including the potential for catastrophic damage to airplanes and helicopters. Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk,’ Boston police stated.
Their arrest comes as unexplained drone sightings have mounted throughout the Northeast, prompting residents as well as state and local officials to demand answers
There is no evidence to suggest Duffy and Folcik are tied to the large drones that have reportedly plagued states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York
‘The Boston Police Department reminds recreational drone operators of the importance of adhering to Federal Aviation Administration safety guidelines.
‘Operators are prohibited from flying drones over people or vehicles and must be aware of airspace restrictions.’
This isn’t the first drone-related arrest since strange large drones began appearing in New Jersey.
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, a Chinese National now living in Brentwood, California, was arrested for flying a small drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County on November 30.
Upon investigation, officers discovered that his drone took photos of the base’s layout.
Zhou, who most recently entered the United States from China on November 26, was charged with failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace.
These arrests add to growing concerns over the ability of both foreign and domestic entities to infiltrate sensitive US airspace and conduct surveillance, and/or pose security and safety risks.
Both the Pentagon and the White House have told the public that there is no evidence to suggest the large drone sightings throughout the Northeast are connected to foreign surveillance, or that they pose a threat to national security or public safety.
But residents and officials from affected states are not buying it, and have demanded more transparency from the federal government.
New Jersey state representative Cory Booker warned that thee lack of answers could help spread fear and misinformation.
‘We should know what’s going on over our skies,’ he said Thursday.
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal also added his voice to those calling for the drones to be shot down.
‘We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,’ Blumenthal said Thursday, as concerns about the drones spread across Capitol Hill.
He added that people in the New York region are also concerned that the drones may be sharing airspace with commercial airlines and demanded greater transparency from the Biden administration.
