Drone pilot held for dumping leaflets over NFL games

A drone enthusiast with a strong dislike of television news was arrested Sunday afternoon after using a drone to float anti-media leaflets over NFL crowds in both Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and the Coliseum in Oakland.

The man, who was not immediately identified, sent his drone soaring over Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara during the second quarter of the game between the 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, police said. Later he hightailed it to Oakland, where he deployed the drone over the Raiders game against the Denver Broncos, according to police.

“It was something about free speech and his belief that television stations are corrupt,” said Santa Clara Police Lt. Dan Moreno.

It is illegal to fly a drone within 5 miles of an airport, and both Levi’s Stadium and the Coliseum are within 5 miles of airports. In addition, Santa Clara has a city ordinance that prohibits flying a drone within 500 yards of the facility, Moreno said.

As a propaganda-distribution vehicle, the drone was ineffective, according to authorities. Most of the dronedropped leaflets were carried away by the wind, landing far from the hands of the football fans they were intended for.

Sill, drones have the potential to disrupt both airplanes and lower-flying helicopters.

“If one of them were to crash, the blades are sharp — we certainly don’t want them hitting the crowd or the players,” Moreno said. “It’s kind of up to the abilities of the drone operators, and there is no way of knowing if they know what they are doing. A stadium is not a good place to fly a drone.”

Police opened an investigation, as did federal, state and local law enforcement, including the FBI, California Highway Patrol and neighboring county and city agencies.