Stock image of a drone.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane – it’s a drone in North Wales.
For at least the past four months, residents in the borough have noticed a mysterious drone flying above the tree line and rooftops. This writer saw it above homes in November around North Wales Library, over homes along Highland and Pennsylvania avenues, and even hovering over the Merck facility along Sumneytown Pike at Allentown Road.
No one knows who is behind the controls, and, unfortunately, nothing can be done about it.
According to The Reporter, North Wales Police Chief Dave Erenius told council last month that municipalities cannot regulate drones at all; rather, it is a job for the Federal Aviation Administration.
However, FAA regulations make it illegal to fly the drone at night without a waiver. Drones can be flown in public spaces and municipal parks, but not state parks, according to Erenius.
“Part of the issue with drones: They’re so new, the laws are very ambiguous … the one thing for sure that the law says, is municipalities cannot regulate drones in any way,” Erenius said in the article.
About four calls came in to the police department this year about the drone, with callers all reporting spotting the drone above Main Street and Montgomery Avenue, per the report. Erenius told council that police believe it is not a youth behind the controls.
Erenius reached out to the FAA and a representative will converse and educate the person suspected to be flying the drone, according to the article. Fines can be enforced up to $10,000 for certain violations.
The best thing for residents to do is to call 911 or the North Wales Police non-emergency line at 215-699-4424 extension 100 and file a formal report, Erenius told council.
“I think we’re better off at this point to leave it alone, involve the FAA, and see where it goes. If it’s looking in somebody’s window, it’s a different story — then we can maybe address it in a different way,” Erenius said in the article.
Resident Matt Di Paolo has seen the drone numerous times in his neighborhood at night, spotting it for the first time in December.
“I started taking video on Jan. 1 and I posted the video on the North Wales community Facebook page. I took more video over the next couple of weeks,” Di Paolo told NorthPennNow.com. “I called 911 twice and they said they would send someone out. But twice, no one showed. Then it would just fly off.”
Di Paolo said the drone was not a “peeping drone.”
“It was always at a pretty good height, always well above tree level,” he said. “As for who’s piloting the drone, I really have no idea.”
Read more details on the North Wales drone situation here.
