A Maryland man is facing three felony charges after allegedly operating a drone over M&T Bank Stadium during the NFL playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, according to USA Today. Alex Perez Suarez, 43, is accused of violating a temporary flight restriction over the stadium.
The NFL paused the Jan. 11 game in the third quarter when a drone, allegedly belonging to Perez, was seen flying 400 feet overhead. The drone took seven pictures of the stadium before flying away.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office of Maryland said that temporary flight restrictions during games or events is “standard practice for stadiums or sporting venues.” The restriction, imposed by the FAA, typically runs from one hour before the start of the event until one hour after it ends.
Perez is now facing three federal charges for flying his drone in restricted airspace. Among them are knowing and willful operation of an unregistered aircraft and operation of an aircraft without a required airman certificate. The third charge is a knowing and willful violation of national defense airspace.
With Super Bowl LIX coming up on Sunday, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said violations of temporary flight restrictions will be taken very seriously.
“We are very serious about temporary flight restrictions,” Barron said in a statement. “You will be charged and held accountable for any incursion into restricted airspace, including around sports and entertainment venues such as the Super Bowl.”
