A Boston man has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine after officials said he was flying a drone near the Boston Marathon finish line about 20 minutes before the professional men in the wheelchair division were finishing the race.
Allan Nip, 30, was charged with unlawfully flying a drone in restricted National Defense Airspace. He agreed to pay a $5,000 criminal fine and to forfeit his drone, valued at about $4,000, according to acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy’s office.
Nip was flying his drone within a few blocks of the Boston Marathon finish line, court documents state. The drone was detected by federal law enforcement monitoring the airspace near the finish line. It was taken down mid-flight and landed in a secure location in Back Bay. Bomb technicians then looked over the drone, Levy’s office said.
Officials then went to Nip’s Boston apartment where officials say he admitted to flying the drone that morning.
Levy’s office said the controller on Nip’s drone provided warning that he was flying in a restricted zone. There were also additional warning notices put out to not fly at the start or finish lines without a special permit.
