A juvenile was operating the drone that flew over Fenway Park during Thursday night’s game between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, Boston police said in a statement released Saturday.
The drone was seized as a result of a joint investigation that included the Boston Police, State Police, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, and the FAA. The investigation remains ongoing, and it was not announced if the unnamed juvenile would face criminal charges.
The manufacturer of the drone, DJI, acknowledged in a statement that the drone was one of its products but deflected blame on the individual. DJI spokesman Adam Lisberg said in a statement released to national media outlets, including USA TODAY Sports, that the actions of the individual violated FAA temporary flight restriction.
He added: “Anybody should know that you should not fly a drone over a stadium during a baseball game. It’s clearly illegal and stupid.”
VIDEO: Bottom of the ninth, and the drone was right over the field at Fenway. pic.twitter.com/XoDj5EMIDF
— Michael Silverman (@MikeSilvermanBB) April 12, 2019
The unidentified drone hovered over the playing field at Fenway, causing a bit of a ruckus. It was enough of a distraction that Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland had to step out of the batter’s box for a moment when he noticed the flying object during his ninth-inning at-bat.
“It kind of threw me off,” Moreland said. “I looked up and was like, ‘They’re not supposed to have these around here, are they?’ I figured I’d try to hit it or something.”
The Red Sox won, 7-6.
Contributing: Jim Reineking
