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Drone Crashes Into Empire State Building

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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A New Jersey man was arrested on Thursday evening after accidentally flying a drone into the Empire State Building, according to reports.

The man, identified by The New York Times as Sean Riddle, 27, of Jersey City, is now facing charges of reckless endangerment.

The man was reportedly flying his drone in Midtown Manhattan when he lost control of the aircraft, accidentally crashing it into the iconic skyscraper. The drone hit the Empire State Building at the 40th floor, then fell several floors down, fortunately getting stuck on a ledge instead of crashing to the ground on Manhattan's busy city streets.

Riddle then entered the building after the crash to ask security guards for help. Instead of helping him retrieve it, they called the police and he was arrested.

It appears Riddle tweeted about the incident before his arrest Thursday, noting that he was filming with the drone prior to the crash. There's no word as to whether the drone was retrieved.

This is just the latest high-profile drone crash as of late. Recently, a drone struck Seattle's Great Wheel and crashed onto the deck of a nearby restaurant. Last year, a small drone crash-landed on the lawn of the White House thanks to a drunk National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency employee who also lost control of his craft.

Meanwhile, those attending the Super Bowl this weekend better leave their drones at home. The Federal Aviation Administration has banned drones within a 36-mile radius of Levi's Stadium during the game.

The Department of Transportation also recently announced that nearly 300,000 drone owners have already registered their aircraft, per the FAA's new rule. All owners of small drones (weighing between 0.5 and 55 pounds) must register no later than Feb. 19, or before their first flight outdoors.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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