Two men suspected of flying a drone “dangerously close” to Boston’s Logan international airport were arrested on Saturday night and charged with trespassing, according to authorities.
The arrest on one of the Boston Harbor islands comes as suspected drones continue to swarm airspace in New Jersey and Connecticut, alarming residents and setting off calls by some for federal detection equipment – and by others to shoot down the mysterious aerial swarms.
According to the Boston Globe, Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, were arrested by harbor patrol shortly before 10.30pm inside a decommissioned health campus. The officers who took them into custody reported investigating “a hazardous drone operation” near the airport.
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A third suspect, who is believed to have fled the island on a small boat, is being sought, according to police.
Boston police said a drone was found inside Duffy’s backpack, and the two detained men were scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
According to police, a Boston police officer using surveillance technology about six hours before the arrests detected an “unmanned aircraft system” operating near the airport.
They identified the drone’s location, altitude, flight history and the operators’ position on Long Island in Boston harbor.
“Even small drones pose significant risks, including the potential for catastrophic damage to airplanes and helicopters,” police said in a statement. “Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk.”
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Pointing at how serious of a response authorities are now considering for the apparent mass drone sightings, Boston police co-ordinated their efforts with the Department of Homeland Security, Massachusetts state police, the joint terrorism task force, the federal communications commission and Logan airport’s air traffic control.
Chuck Schumer, the US Senate majority leader, on Sunday added his name to a list of officials who were requesting federal-level drone detection technology.
Meanwhile, Mike Waltz – the Florida congressman who has been chosen as the national security adviser for the second Donald Trump presidency – said the drone sightings, particularly the unexplained ones, exposed gaps between federal agencies and local law enforcement.
“Americans are finding it hard to believe we can’t figure out where these are coming from,” he told CBS’s Face the Nation.
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