No jail for teacher who crashed drone at U.S. Open

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A drone crashed into the seating area of Louis Armstrong Stadium during a U.S. Open match. (Photo courtesy of René Denfeld)

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City high school teacher who accidentally crashed his drone at the U.S. Open tennis tournament has been ordered to perform five days of community service.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Friday that Daniel Verley has cooperated fully with investigators. The charges will be dismissed in six months if he completes his service and stays out of trouble.

Verley had gone to photograph a park sculpture on Sept. 3. The drone lost signal and ended up at the nearby Louis Armstrong Stadium. It plummeted into an unoccupied part of the stadium during the next-to-last game of a second-round match. No one was injured.

The prosecutor urged people to "use common sense" and operate drones away from crowded areas.