NYPD helicopter has near-miss with drone in skies over Brooklyn

By Larry Celona

An NYPD helicopter had an 800- feet-high near-miss with a drone as the cops searched for a missing teenage girl in Brooklyn early Wednesday, law-enforcement sources told The Post.

Just before 1 a.m., the chopper was hovering over 1240 Greene Ave. in Bushwick when it was forced to suddenly change course because of the drone, sources said.

The 83rd Precinct was notified, and Isaac Rosa, 34, was arrested for illegally operating the remote-controlled DJI Phantom 2 Quadcopter, equipped with a GoPro camera, sources said.

“These drones pose a safety threat to aircrafts and the people on board because the pilots do not know they are in their flight pattern,” a law-enforcement source said.

Rosa, who lives nearby on Central Avenue, was arrested on reckless endangerment and obstructing governmental administration charges.

He was awaiting arraignment Wednesday night in Brooklyn Criminal Court.

On Sunday, Rosa posted a 16-second video on Facebook showing elevated shots of Coney Island and the Wonder Wheel clearly recorded by a drone, which is against FAA rules.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” Rosa wrote in the post.

The FAA could bring additional charges against Rosa for flying the unmanned aircraft near La Guardia Airport — which was five miles away — and in prohibited “Class B” airspace.

Under the FAA’s “model aircraft” guidelines, the tiny remote-controlled machines must not interfere with manned aircraft or fly within five miles of an airport without prior notification.

“The FAA is investigating a report that a small unmanned aircraft system was flying approximately five miles south of La Guardia Airport at 12:45 am. today,” the agency told The Post in a statement.

The FAA plans to introduce a new law regarding drone usage later this year, sources said.

The hovering gizmos have become increasingly popular in New York skies.
Earlier this month, 34-year-old Daniel Feighery was nabbed for allegedly piloting a drone near the US Open at the National Tennis Center in Queens.

In July, Remy Castro, 23, and Wilkins Mendoza, 34, were arrested after allegedly flying two drones that nearly took out another NYPD chopper over the George Washington Bridge.

The roughly 2-pound Phantom 2 drone can be purchased for as little as $800 on Amazon.

http://nypost.com/2014/09/17/nypd-helicopter-has-near-miss-with-drone-in-skies-over-brooklyn/