Two men are facing criminal charges after police say they flew a drone dangerously close to Logan Airport on Saturday night amid concern over drone sightings across the nation.
Members of the Boston Police Department’s Harbor Patrol Unit arrested Robert Duffy, 42, of Charlestown, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, of Bridgewater, on Long Island, one of the Boston Harbor Islands, following hazardous drone operation near Logan Airport’s airspace, according to the Boston Police Department.
An officer specializing in real-time crime surveillance spotted the drone around 4:30 p.m. and used UAS monitoring technology to identify the operator’s position on Long Island.
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 address the situation.
Members of the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit were dispatched to Long Island and located three individuals inside the decommissioned Long Island Health Campus. Upon attempting to make contact, the suspects fled on foot. Two of the three individuals were apprehended and identified as Duffy and Folcik. During the investigation, a drone was discovered inside a backpack carried by Duffy.
The two suspects were transported to District A-1 for booking. A continued search for the third suspect, believed to have fled the island in a small vessel, was conducted by officers and the Massachusetts State Police.
Duffy and Folcik are scheduled to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court on charges of trespassing. Further charges may be filed pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
