PHOTO: A city school teacher last week was arrested after a drone he was allegedly piloting crashed into empty seats at Louis Armstrong Stadium during a US Open match. Photo Courtesy of YouTube.com/Drones.nl
A city high school teacher last Friday was arrested a day after a drone he was allegedly piloting crashed into empty seats during a US Open tennis match at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Daniel Verley, 26, who teaches science at the Academy of Innovative Technology in Brooklyn, was charged with reckless endangerment, according to US Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier.
At approximately 8:30 p.m. last Thursday, a drone flying from outside the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center flew into the southwest corner of Louis Armstrong Stadium during the Flavia Pennetta vs. Monica Niculescu match.
“There were no fans in the immediate area and there were no injuries,” Widmaier noted.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown called the incident “just the latest close call involving a drone and clearly illustrates that drones cannot simply be considered children’s toys. Many people operating unmanned aircraft are novices with little or no aviation experience and recklessly flying a drone near, over or into a tennis stadium or an airport or any other place where large groups of people assemble needlessly puts lives in danger. We were fortunate that no one was injured as a result of last night’s incident. But we can’t rely on happenstance to protect the public. Those who engage in conduct of this nature will be held legally accountable for their actions. They will not be treated as children—or as innocent hobbyists.”
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
