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Drone Crashes Through Manhattan Apartment Window
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 27, 2017
Modified Mar 26, 2018
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 27, 2017
Modified Mar 26, 2018
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A GoPro Karma drone crashed into a Kips Bay apartment building's window over the weekend, startling the 66-year-old woman inside. Now the NYPD is looking for its owner.
Police say that the drone struck the window of a 27th floor apartment at 20 Waterside Plaza around 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. The resident was using her computer at the time, and the drone shattered her window and landed "four feet away from her."
The woman was not injured. A neighbor's girlfriend said, "Poor lady. She’s lucky she wasn’t killed."
And a 28th floor resident, Heidrum Pretzel, who lives directly above the affected apartment, spoke to WCBS 2, “I just saw boop, something, then I heard somebody say ‘Oh my God.'"
Pretzel adds that she immediately looked down and saw nothing, but her neighbor to the right feared the worst.
“She thought somebody jumped out of the window and I said ‘nobody jumped out of the window,'” Pretzel said, insisting she knew it was a drone. She says she saw it flying just moments before.
The drone retails for about $1100. The Post reports, "If the owner registered the device with the FAA — which is legally required for recreational drones between .55 and 55 pounds — it can be traced back to the owner, sources said"—the Karma is 2.2 pounds—"Police also may be able to use a serial number located on the base and battery of the drone to track down who it belongs to, sources said."
Last year, a NJ man was arrested for crashing his drone into the Empire State Building. Drones are not permitted in New York City except in designated areas.
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bad drone
drone
manhattan
runaway drone
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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