15 hours ago Alys Davies BBC News Two people have been arrested after allegedly conducting a “hazardous drone operation” near the airspace of the US city of Boston’s main airport, police said.
Their arrests follow a series of drone sightings across the US north-east in recent weeks.
It was not immediately clear whether Mr Duffy and Mr Folcik had legal representation.
US government officials have been seeking to reassure residents of the north-east that no national or public security threats have been identified in the hundreds of drone sightings.
He also said he knew of “no foreign involvement” in drone sightings around the US north-east.
15 hours prior.
Davies Alys.
NBC News.
According to authorities, two people were taken into custody for allegedly carrying out a “hazardous drone operation” close to the main airport in the US city of Boston.
On Long Island, which is a part of the Boston Harbor Islands, Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, were taken into custody on Saturday evening.
They were accused of trespassing, and because the drones were “dangerously close” to Logan International Airport, authorities warned that they might be subject to additional charges and penalties.
Their detentions come after several drone sightings in the northeastern United States in recent weeks. No evidence has been provided by the police to link the sightings to these arrests.
According to police, the incident happened in Boston on Saturday at 16:30 local time (21:30 GMT), when a police officer spotted a drone flying “dangerously close” to Logan International Airport.
According to police, they were able to locate the drone and follow its operators to a Long Island medical facility that had been shut down. FBI counterterrorism officers assisted with the investigation because of the drone’s close proximity to an airport.
Our understanding of the enigmatic drones that are buzzing over New Jersey.
Two of the three individuals who tried to escape, Mr. Duffy and Mr. Folcik, were taken into custody when police arrived on the scene. According to the police, a drone was found in Mr. Duffy’s backpack.
It is thought that the third suspect, who has not yet been apprehended, escaped the island in a small boat.
Immediately, it was unclear if Mr. Folcik and Mr. Duffy had legal counsel. They have not yet been arraigned, according to police.
The hundreds of drone sightings have prompted US government officials to reassure northeastern residents that no national or public security threats have been found.
Although reports of flying objects have come from New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, New Jersey has seen the most sightings.
The federal government was coordinating “closely” with state and local authorities on the matter, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC News on Sunday.
He declared that it was “critical” that they be granted the authority to stop drone activity while being supervised by the federal government.
A change in federal law last year that permits drones to be flown at night may be the cause of the increase in drone sightings, according to Mayorkas.
“That could be one of the causes of the increased number of drones that people are seeing, particularly during the hours of dawn to dusk,” he stated.
Additionally, he claimed to be aware of “no foreign involvement” in drone sightings in the northeastern United States.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has called on Congress to give states more authority to combat the drones, which forced the state’s Stewart Airfield runways to close for approximately an hour on Friday night.
Federal officials are sending a drone detection system to New York, she said on Sunday.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, has asked that the technology be sent to New Jersey as well.
