2 men accused of operating drones 'dangerously close' to Boston airport

Two men faced arraignment Monday in Boston, accused of conducting a "hazardous drone operation" too close to Logan International Airport as concerns over airspace safety and national security intensify amid a flurry of reported drone sightings across the Northeast.

Boston police said in a statement that Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, face trespassing charges and that additional charges could be added. A third suspect fled in a small boat and was being sought, police said.

The incident began Saturday around 4:30 p.m. local time when a police officer detected an unmanned aircraft system operating "dangerously close" to Logan International Airport, the statement said. The officer identified the drone's location, altitude and flight history and discovered the operators were inside a decommissioned health facility on Long Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands.

Police coordinated with Homeland Security, the Massachusetts State Police, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission and Logan Airport Air Traffic Control. Members of the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit were dispatched to Long Island where they located three suspects who fled on foot, police said.

"Two of the three individuals were apprehended and identified as Duffy and Folcik," police said, adding that a drone was discovered inside Duffy's backpack.

Dozens of drone sightings have been reported in Massachusetts in recent weeks. After the arrests, Gov. Maura Healey said she was aware of a growing number of sightings across the state and said she was "monitoring the situation closely."

Some sightings may not be drones

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday that the federal government is "deploying additional resources" to address the rush of sightings that began with reports from New Jersey in mid-November. Airports in New York and Ohio were forced to briefly halt flights Friday amid drone concerns. The sightings have become so numerous that one New Jersey lawmaker suggested all drones be grounded until a thorough investigation can be completed.

Thus far there is no reported evidence that the drone incidents are connected. Federal authorities have tried to reassure residents that there appears to be no sinister conspiracy, and the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have said many reported sightings may not be not drones at all.

“Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities,” the agencies said in a joint statement.

Drone sightings: US deploys resources on drone sightings; NY to receive 'state-of-the-art' detection system

Drone sightings in Northeast attract attention of residents, politicians

Reported drone sightings in the Northeast have attracted the attention of residents and politicians in those areas. Boston police did not make a connection between the two arrests there and the reported sightings.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has requested that "special detection systems" be deployed in New York and New Jersey after recent drone sightings fueled anxiety among residents in the region and shut down a New York airport for more than an hour.

Schumer told reporters on Sunday that he made the request to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and pushed for Robin Radar Systems, which he said has a better chance of detecting drones because of their "360-degree technology."

"It's remarkable, with all these sightings over the last while, why do we have more questions than answers?" Schumer said. "If the technology exists for a drone to make it up into the sky, there certainly is the technology that can track the craft with precision."

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., fueled controversy last week when he suggested the drones might be coming from an Iranian "mothership" anchored off the East Coast. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh flatly rejected the idea: “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States."

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a social media post late Sunday that he had just met with radar technicians surveying for drones at a West Trenton intelligence center. Murphy wrote that the public "deserves clear answers ? we will keep pushing the federal government for more information and resources."

Mayorkas: More than 1 million drones registered in the US

Mayorkas said Sunday that more than 1 million drones are registered in the U.S., that there are thousands of recreational and commercial drones flown every day ? and that a 2023 FAA rule allowed night flights.

"That may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before," Mayorkas said. "That is the reality, but I want to assure the American public that we are on it.”

A Chinese national living in Northern California was arrested last week on suspicion of flying a drone over restricted airspace ? over Vandenberg Space Force Base. Many sigtings have come out of New Jersey, and even ex-Gov. Chris Christie said he recently saw one flying near his home.

"There's no question that people are seeing drones," Mayorkas said on ABC News "This Week." "I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology ... in addressing the drone sightings."

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 men accused of operating drones too close to Boston's Logan Airport