2 Arrested Over Drone Flying 'Dangerously Close' to Boston Airport

Two men were arrested after a drone flew "dangerously close" to Boston's Logan Airport Saturday, authorities say. A city police officer detected an "Unmanned Aircraft System" flying too close to the airport in the afternoon, CNN reports. Advanced monitoring technology was used to figure out where the drone was, where its operators were, and its flight history. The operators were determined to be on an island in Boston Harbor known as Long Island, which is mostly uninhabited. Police from the Harbor Patrol unit were sent there and found three people inside the closed Long Island Health Campus, the Boston Herald reports. One fled, but two—one of whom allegedly had a drone inside his backpack—were captured.

Police are searching for the third person, who is believed to have escaped on a small vessel. The FAA prohibits drones from flying too close to airports due to the fact that it is challenging for manned aircraft to detect and avoid drones. "Even small drones pose significant risks, including the potential for catastrophic damage to airplanes and helicopters," the Boston Police Department says in a statement. "Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk." The suspects, ages 42 and 32, face charges of trespassing. (Mysterious drones elsewhere on the East Coast recently forced an airport to briefly shut down.)