Man facing charges after flying drone near Boston Marathon finish line, officials say

BOSTON — A Boston man was arraigned Monday for allegedly flying a drone near the Boston Marathon finish line, violating national defense airspace.

30-year-old Allan Nip was charged with unlawfully flying a drone in restricted National Defense Airspace. At his arraignment, a deferred prosecution agreement was filed, stating that Nip agreed to pay a $5,000 criminal fine and forfeit his drone, according to the Department of Justice. The drone is valued at $4,000.

Charging documents say in April 2024, Nip was flying his drone within a few blocks of the Boston Marathon finish line about 20 minutes before the professional men in the wheelchair division were finishing the race.

Federal law enforcement monitoring the marathon detected the drone and intercepted it mid-flight. After taking the drone down, bomb technicians evaluated it.

Police responded to Nip’s apartment on West Springfield Street where he allegedly admitted to flying the drone.

Officials say the drone provided warnings to Nip that he was flying in a restricted zone and the FAA sent out warnings not to fly aircrafts (including drones) near the start or finish line of the Boston Marathon on race days without a special permit.

In addition to the criminal fine, the United States also filed a civil forfeiture complaint in connection with this matter to forfeit the drone and its related controller.

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