BOSTON (WHDH) - A 30-year-old man was arraigned in federal court Monday for flying a drone near the finish line at the Boston Marathon in April, officials said.
Allan Nip, of Boston, was charged with unlawfully flying a drone in restricted National Defense Airspace, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office. According to court paperwork, Nip flew the drone within a few blocks of the finish line on April 15.
The drone was detected just 20 minutes before the leaders of the men’s wheelchair division finished the race, court paperwork said.
Federal law enforcement and bomb technicians seized the drone mid-flight and landed it in Back Bay, the office said. Officers then responded to Nip’s apartment on West Springfield Street.
Nip allegedly admitted to flying the drone that day, the office said. However, the controller on Nip’s drone allegedly gave him warnings that he was flying in a restricted zone that day.
He agreed to pay a $5,000 criminal fine and to forfeit his drone, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)