The NYPD arrested two men this week who are accused of flying a drone within 800 feet of a police helicopter. The men were operating the unmanned device near the George Washington Bridge and upon the approach of the helicopter, “continued to circle the bridge, forcing the chopper to change course to avoid it,” KXAN reported.
Wilkins Mendoza and Remy Castro were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment. Both men were released without bail.
There seems to be some disagreement about what happened. “A prosecutor told the judge that police reported the drone as having flown 2,000 feet in the air, but a defense attorney said the model used can only fly at heights of 300 feet,” Daily News writes. Both sides seem to be wrong here – the model in question is DGI Phantom 2, and can definitely fly over 300 feet, but probably not as high as 2,000. The Federal Aviation Administration currently allows the flying of unmanned aircraft under 400 feet. Either way, these dudes are kind of ruining it for the rest of us. (Photo: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)
