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Man fined $5K for flying drone near Boston Marathon finish line, and has it confiscated
Allan Nip, 30, was charged with unlawfully flying a drone in restricted National Defense Airspace.
A Boston man was arraigned on Monday in federal court for allegedly flying a drone near the finish line of the 2024 Boston Marathon.
Allan Nip, 30, was charged with unlawfully flying a drone in restricted National Defense Airspace, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under a deferred prosecution agreement, he agreed to pay a $5,000 criminal fine and give his drone — valued at approximately $4,000 — to authorities.
Nip was flying the drone within a few blocks of the finish line approximately 20 minutes before the professional men in the wheelchair division were finishing the race, according to court filings.
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Federal law enforcement intercepted the drone as it was flying and landed it in a secure location in Back Bay.
After bomb technicians evaluated the device, law enforcement went to Nip’s apartment on West Springfield Street in Boston, officials said, where he allegedly told officers he flew the drone that morning.
The controller of the drone allegedly had warnings that Nip was flying it in a restricted zone, and the Federal Aviation Administration had sent out notices about restrictions to flying “any type of aircraft” near the start and finish lines of the marathon without a permit, authorities said.
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