The Boston Police Department has arrested two people following a “hazardous drone operation” near the airspace of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
The incident occurred on December 14, 2024, at about 16:30 local time, when a Boston Police officer trained in real-time crime surveillance spotted a drone flying “dangerously close” to BOS Airport, Police said. The officer used UAS monitoring technology to track the drone’s location, altitude, flight path, and the operators’ position on Long Island.
“Recognizing the serious risks posed by the drone’s proximity to Logan’s airspace, additional resources were mobilized,” the police statement said.
As a result, the Boston Police Department coordinated with Homeland Security, the Massachusetts State Police, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Logan Airport Air Traffic Control to manage the situation.
Officers from the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit were sent to Long Island, where they found three people inside the old Long Island Health Campus.
Later the same day, at approximately 22:22 local time, officers from the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit arrested two men on Long Island. During the investigation, a drone was found in a backpack belonging to one of the suspects.
A search for the third suspect, who is thought to have escaped the island in a small boat, was carried out by officers and the Massachusetts State Police.
Currently both individuals are charged with trespassing, and they may face additional fines or charges later.
In the statement, Boston police urged drone users to adhere to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety guidelines which state that operators cannot fly over people or vehicles and must follow airspace regulations. Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk, the police said.
On December 15, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed frustration over the increasing frequency of drone-related disruptions and called for urgent federal action.
The proposed legislation would enhance the FAA’s oversight of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and grant select state and local law enforcement agencies expanded powers to counter unauthorized drone activity.