A Pennsylvania man has been charged with flying a drone over Ravens Stadium during..

A Pennsylvania man has been charged with illegally flying a drone over Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium during the

AFC championship game between the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs last month, causing security to temporarily

halt the game, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced Monday.

On January 28, Matthew Hebert, 44, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, was charged with three felonies for operating an

unregistered drone, serving as an airman without a certificate, and breaching national defense airspace.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, drones are not permitted to fly within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of

stadiums that seat at least 30,000 people during events such as NFL and MLB games, as well as one hour before and

after they begin and end. In November, the administration stated that it would investigate a drone that caused a

minor delay in a Ravens-Bengals game.

Maryland state police tracked the unidentified and unlicensed drone to a nearby area, where they discovered Hebert,

who acknowledged to flying the drone, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent David Rodski. Hebert told

troopers and FBI investigators that he purchased the drone online in 2021 and operated it using an app, but he

lacked the necessary training and license.

According to the affidavit, Hebert, who was wearing a Ravens jersey and was visiting friends’ homes in Baltimore for

the football game, said he was unaware of the stadium’s restrictions. The software had previously barred Hebert

from operating the drone due to flight restrictions, so while he was astonished that he could, he assumed he was

permitted to fly it.

According to the affidavit, Hebert flew the drone about 100 meters (330 feet) or higher for about two minutes, taking

six images of himself and the stadium and possibly filming a video, but he had no idea his flight had disrupted the

game until confronted by a trooper.