NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - A New Jersey man was arrested after his drone hit the Empire State Building on Thursday. He accidentally crashed the drone into the 40th floor of the Midtown Manhattan building around 8 p.m. It dropped and landed on a ledge on the 35th floor.
Sean Riddle, 29, went to Empire State Building security to help get his drone back and the guards called police. Riddle, of Jersey City, is charged with reckless endangerment and avigation over New York City, which basically mean flying a drone illegally.
Technically, it is not illegal to fly a drone in New York City but they are banned within five miles of airports and the NYPD has the descresion of interpreting whether a drone operator is creating a safety issue.
A New York City high school teacher was arrested in September when his drone crashed into the seats at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens. He was ordered to perform five days of community service.