2 Arrested for Flying Drones Near Brooklyn Bridge, US Open: NYPD

A man was arrested for allegedly flying a drone around lower Manhattan Thursday afternoon, the second person to be arrested for doing so in the area in as many days, police said. 

Transit workers near the Wall Street heliport alerted an NYPD highway patrol officer after they noticed two men flying a drone around the Brooklyn Bridge, according to police. 

Police spoke to the man operating the drone and arrested him for allegedly violating FAA rules, police said. 

The man was visiting New York from Russia along with a friend, and had flown in last week, according to the NYPD.

The arrest marks the second involving the illegal operation of drones this week. A filmmaker was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly flying a drone outside the National Tennis Center, which is hosting the US Open. 

Police said the filmmaker told arresting officers he thought he was flying the drone in an appropriate park space.

The NYPD said neither incident had any ties to terrorist activity. 

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