February 06, 2024
Street View/Google Maps
Matthew Hebert, 44, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, has been charged with illegally flying a drone over M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during the AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 28.
A Chadds Ford man could face prison time for allegedly flying his drone over M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during the AFC Championship Game, causing a temporary delay, federal prosecutors said.
Matthew Hebert, 44, allegedly violated a temporary flight restriction that was put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration for the Ravens-Chiefs game on Jan. 28. Such restrictions prohibit the use of drones and other aircraft within three nautical miles of a stadium during sporting events, as well as for an hour before and after.
Maryland State Police tracked Hebert's drone directly over the stadium and then followed it to a landing spot on the 500 block of South Sharp St., about a mile away and a few blocks from Inner Harbor, investigators said. FBI agents and state police went there and found Hebert, who allegedly said that he was operating the drone without registering it or possessing a remote pilot certificate.
"Illegally operating drones poses a significant security risk that will lead to federal charges," U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said. "Temporary flight restrictions are always in place during large sporting events."
The delay caused by the drone occurred during the first quarter of the game and lasted a few minutes, The Baltimore Sun reported. In November, at least eight similar violations involving drones occurred near M&T Bank Stadium.
Hebert told investigators that he had purchased his drone in 2021 and that he typically relied on an app connected to the aircraft to let him know whether any restrictions were in place, according to an affidavit. He claimed that he thought he was permitted to fly the drone because the app did not prevent him from doing so, police said.
Hebert's drone was allegedly in the air 100 meters or higher for about two minutes. Hebert took six photos of himself and the stadium, and possibly a video, prosecutors said.
Hebert faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison for knowingly operating an unregistered drone without an airman's certificate and up to a year in prison for violating the United States National Defense Airspace. The U.S. Attorney's Office noted that actual sentences for such crimes are often less than the maximum penalties.
