Man who delayed NFL game with drone selfie could face four years in prison: Justice Department

• A man who delayed an NFL game while taking selfies with a drone is facing federal charges, prosecutors say.
• Prosecutors said Matthew Hebert, 44, mistakenly thought he was allowed to fly the drone at the time.
• If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to four years in prison.

A 44-year-old man faces up to four years in federal prison for flying a drone over a National Football League game in Baltimore, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

The Justice Department said in a statement that Matthew Hebert, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, flew a drone over M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, when the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs played for the AFC Championship. Announced.

Prosecutors said Hebert flew the drone for about two minutes at an altitude of about 330 feet and took at least six photos of himself and the stadium.

“The intrusion of an unidentified, unauthorized drone during the game on January 28, 2024 was determined to be a sufficiently serious threat that NFL Security suspended the game,” the statement said.

According to the Baltimore Sun, a brief delay of several minutes interrupted the first quarter of the day’s game.

State police later tracked the drone to where it ultimately landed and found Hebert, prosecutors said. He was not arrested, but said he spoke to police.

The Federal Aviation Administration typically issues temporary flight restrictions for drones near stadiums whenever a major sporting event is held.

In that case, the restrictions were set an hour before the start of the Ravens-Chiefs game and continued for an hour after the game, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Hebert told police that the drone was purchased from manufacturer DJI and that the drone’s app would prevent it from flying in restricted areas.

Prosecutors said Hebert “relyed solely on the DJI application” to know whether he was authorized to fly the drone.

But the app failed to prevent Mr. Hebert from flying over the stadium that day, and prosecutors said he told police he thought it was OK to use the drone during the game.

Hébert’s drone was not registered and he did not have a remote control license to operate it, prosecutors said.

He is currently charged with knowingly violating U.S. national defense airspace and knowingly serving as an airman without an airman’s certificate.

If convicted, they could face a combined sentence of up to four years in prison.

Prosecutors said Hebert is scheduled to appear in court in late February.

On the other hand, the Chiefs won the game 17-10.

DJI did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment outside normal business hours.