Game, set and DEATHMATCH: Drone TERROR ORDEAL at US Open tennis tournament

Tennis fans faced a terrifying nightmare Thursday evening after a drone was flown and crashed into an empty section of seats at the US Open, injuring no one. As the authorities scrambled to deal with the flying menace, hapless teacher Daniel Verley, 26, was seized, and formally charged four hours later when New York cops …

[Anonymous Coward]

> The entire terrifying event was captured on video. Be warned: it is not for the faint-hearted.

Which has very quickly been blocked by the "US Tennis Association."

Bah, killjoys.

Update: available here (for the moment) for your viewing pleasure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-DdZEI_5MY

[Mark 85]

Which has very quickly been blocked by the "US Tennis Association."

I guess they didn't want anyone to see all the empty seats?

[Anonymous Coward]

Anything please...

That might drown (drone?) out the irritating screaming/grunting that is endemic in women's tennis.

I can't watch women's tennis because of it.

[Hollerith 1]

Re: Anything please...

Are you bothered by the grunting in men's tennis? If not, why? If so, why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Anything please...

The men don't grunt/scream as much, when they do it bothers me just as much.

[x 7]

Re: Anything please...

"I can't watch women's tennis"

thats OK, many of them are sexually ambiguous enough not to count as women

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Anything please...

"thats OK, many of them are sexually ambiguous enough not to count as women"

I'm not sure I agree with your comment, apart from the missing apostrophe I have other issues with it.

I don't choose to watch men playing sports based on their appearance any more than I do women.

In other words I don't watch sports persons for their appearance.,

it's natural that any participant in any sport of any gender will be developed for the activity they have chosen to pursue.

Perhaps if you want to watch sport based on women fitting your stereotype you should go with Nadia Comăneci from the '76 Olympics?

I still find it difficult to watch women's tennis though for the reason I first mentioned.

[x 7]

Re: Anything please...

"you should go with Nadia Comăneci from the '76 Olympics?"

I'd go with her as she is now - she's still quite a stunner

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Anything please...

Anyone for t̶e̶n̶n̶i̶s̶ women's beach volleyball?

[Pascal Monett]

Oh for Christ' sake

What on Earth was that guy at a tennis match with a drone for ? Couldn't he just have played with his phone ?

Why are people terrified of an itty-bitty flying toy ? It's not a bloody Predator, now is it ? The worst it could have carried would be a firecracker.

What the fuck is the reason for BLOCKING THE VIDEO ? On what grounds did they get that done ? It's not a private game, there are spectators. They're not going to lose money, the game's over. Why do we accept this kind of dickery ? There is absolutely no reason for it.

[x 7]

Re: Oh for Christ' sake

"Why are people terrified of an itty-bitty flying toy ? It's not a bloody Predator, now is it ? The worst it could have carried would be a firecracker."

the worst it could have done would be land on someones head.......from 50 or more feet thats quite a dent in the cranium

[GreggS]

Re: Oh for Christ' sake

Tell that to Enrique Inglesias!

[Grikath]

Re: Oh for Christ' sake

"Why are people terrified of an itty-bitty flying toy ? It's not a bloody Predator, now is it ? The worst it could have carried would be a firecracker."

I think you can do a bit better than a firecracker with modern explosives, or even quite old-fashioned ones. And given the situation, anything Bang!-y wouldn't even have to be lethal or even dangerous, it just needs to be loud enough to ensure disruption and panic...

[YetAnotherLocksmith]

Re: Oh for Christ' sake

Apparently, it doesn't even need that!

I can see the video, by the way, proxied via Norway. All the seats are empty bar the front 2, and no-one even knew what it was - "whether it was something left behind" so about as scary as finding a toy car. Play disrupted (paused) for about 30 seconds.

[Joey M0usepad]

Re: Oh for Christ' sake

it dosent matter how un dangerous it is, its a disruption by a technology obsessed dick

[Bad Beaver]

Tennis, a sport for folks with some balls

Apparently not. I am flabbergasted by how tight the clutch of fear culture on peoples' minds seem to be these days. Scared to death by the unspeakable menace of a tiny RC-toy (stop calling these things drones for crivens sake).

Because hey, it's not simply a minor nuisance not worthy of further attention but most likely a terrorist delivering a tiny load of ultra-efficient explosive or maybe even enough VX wo wipe out the entire tennis court.

Get a grip!

[Joey M0usepad]

Re: Tennis, a sport for folks with some balls

its not a threat ,but its about as polite as Dom Joly in a snooker audience

[DropBear]

Classic narcisim...

...because OF COURSE a couple of tennis players nobody ever heard of (or the tiny crowd that fits into a tennis court - at least compared to the size of most other sports crowds) - are clearly prime targets of utmost importance for any self-respecting terrorist. I suppose the thought of how few out of the billions of people alive today give half a fuck about that tennis match or its viewers would be too terrible to bear for all those who "feared for their lives", especially after the drone crashed...

[Chris G]

TOTC

Getting your drone out and spanking it in public should be illegal!

[Anonymous Coward]

Does sound like a misdemeanor.

In the past this might have been a kite or a balloon. Both also cover a risk of injury (sharp points on a kite, dropping stuff held by balloons).

However a drone does add to the targeting ability, and in this case, less of an excuse of a mistake. No doubt the pilot was in control. So I've not as much sympathy if it was an invasion of private space, or disregard for safety in public space.

Mines the one with a nano quad in the pocket, small enough to fly in my own personal space. ;)

[x 7]

"No doubt the pilot was in control"

yeah, so thats why it crashed.......piloting error

[Anonymous Coward]

Was the pilot high?

I've already got my coat.

[Stuart 18]

The REAL reason

Article and commentary lack a little research.

The basis and full legitimacy of the teacher's arrest is the fact he was within 5 miles of La Guardia airport. The sports ground is close to the perimeter -at 4.7 miles i.e. within the 5 mile limit but obviously far enough that tennis balls won't get ingested in jet engines:-)

Regardless of his terrorist intent, islamic preaching or favourite fear of today he did display total ignorance of his surroundings and lack of concern for consequences of his actions. I think a suitable rehabilitation opportunity would be if he shows equal disregard of action when asked to pick up the soap in San Quentin's showers!!!

[breakfast]

An avoidable disaster

IF ONLY there had been someone around with a piece of equipment that could have been used for knocking a small object back into the sky, this whole sorry affair would have been avoidable. I look forward to the time when this type of equipment is available at all tennis matches.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: An avoidable disaster

IF ONLY there had been someone around with a piece of equipment that could have been used for knocking a small object back into the sky

All you lilly livered republicans can eat shit now about you killing the patriot missile program, this is the type of situation we forewarned you about would happen.

On a side note, how (in the UK events security even take the caps off plastic water bottles to stop you chucking them at the crap bands) did he get the flying toy and remote in past them?

[Chris Parsons]

Air Navigation Orders...

...or whatever the equivalent is in the US.

These are rules which have evolved over time to protect the public and pilots. One of these rules, in the UK, says quite clearly that flying near (500 feet) 'any person, vessel, vehicle or structure' is illegal. And so it should be. The fact that this aircraft is a toy flown by someone incompetent changes nothing. It is a stupid and inconsiderate thing to do.

[mr dsb]

drones drones drones

what's with the drone obsession?

remote control helicopters have been around for decades but all of a sudden a slightly altered version is considered some kind of giant menace?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: drones drones drones

remote control helicopters have been around for decades but all of a sudden a slightly altered version is considered some kind of giant menace?

most people (and I saw this countless times with new members of the Clacton Model Flyers Club) would not get a single or dual rotor model helicopter 3 foot off the ground without it crashing badly at least the first 20 times they tried to fly it without help