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Drone Nearly Collides With NYPD Chopper Near GW Bridge
By
Lauren Evans
Published Jul 8, 2014
Modified Jul 8, 2014
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Jul 8, 2014
Modified Jul 8, 2014
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A couple of drone enthusiasts are in trouble after they allegedly piloted a drone perilously close to an NYPD chopper near the George Washington Bridge yesterday.
According to the Post, an Aviation Unit helicopter was patrolling the skies around 12:15 a.m. when it was almost struck by the tiny interloper. Cops followed the vessel to Audubon and Fort George avenues in Inwood, where they arrested 23-year-old Remy Castro and 34-year-old Wilkins Mendoza on charges of reckless endangerment.
A police source told the tabloid that despite the drone's diminutive size, it could still have caused a major problem.
“Although [drones] may only weigh a few pounds, that’s all birds weigh, and look what they did to the Sully Airbus,” the source said in reference to 2009’s “Miracle on the Hudson."
The drone, identified as a DGI Phantom 2, is touted on the manufacturer's website as being "unbelievably easy" to fly. Though the defendants' attorney said the toys couldn't go higher than 300 feet, friends of the pair said they were getting the device as high as 5,000 feet.
“When they first got them, everyone was going crazy and saying, ‘That’s some alien stuff!’ ” said one friend. “Everybody who sees [the drones] goes crazy!”
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George Washington Bridge
Lauren Evans
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