Drone that fell from sky, injured fans at Celtics watch party was operated by CNN, Boston police say

BOSTON — A drone that fell from the sky and injured fans at a Boston Celtics watch party on Tuesday night was operated by a Cable News Network employee, authorities said.

Hundreds of people were gathered at City Hall Plaza in Boston for a celebration of the defending NBA champs when the drone plummetted down, inflicting non-life-threatening injuries on two people around 8 p.m., according to the Boston Police Department.

In a police report shared with Boston 25 News on Wednesday, officers stated that one person struck by the drone was “bleeding heavily” from his right hand, while the second person complained of “significant pain” in her head, neck, and shoulder areas.

Several people saw the woman taken out on a stretcher after she was hit by the drone.

Police said that a CNN worker was piloting the drone and gathering video of a stage performance when he flew it between two trees and accidentally struck a light police, causing the drone to come crashing down on the crowd below.

The worker was licensed by the FAA to operate the drone, which was described as a “DJI Mavic 3 Cine” model, police noted.

Derek Scrima told Boston 25 that the unmanned aerial vehicle sliced his two fingers when it came crashing down.

“I was completely caught off guard, it was scary because my mind was like I could have just got my two fingers cut off,” Scrima said.

The Celtics watch party was hosted by TNT.

In a statement, the television network said, “Unfortunately, there was an incident involving a drone and fans attending tonight’s event. On-site medical and safety personnel immediately attended to the situation. We are currently investigating further and wish all involved well.”

There were no charges filed in connection with the incident.

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