NEW YORK, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Two men faced arraignment on Monday in Boston, Massachusetts, accused of conducting a "hazardous drone operation" too close to the Logan International Airport as concerns over airspace safety and national security intensify amid a flurry of reported drone sightings across the U.S. Northeast.
Boston police said in a statement that Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, face trespassing charges and that additional charges could be added. A third suspect fled in a small boat and was being sought, police said.
The incident began on Saturday, when a police officer "specializing in real-time crime surveillance" detected an unmanned aircraft system operating "dangerously close" to the airport, the statement said. The officer identified the drone's location, altitude and flight history and discovered the operators were inside a decommissioned health facility on Long Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands.
Dozens of drone sightings have been reported in Massachusetts in recent weeks. After the arrests, Governor Maura Healey said she was aware of a growing number of sightings across the state and said she was "monitoring the situation closely." Thus far there is no reported evidence that the drone incidents are connected, reported USA Today about the developments.
