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Downtown San Diego high rise residents fear a peeping tom is using a drone

Posted at 5:24 PM, Oct 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-13 22:08:14-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said downtown San Diego high rise residents should contact police if they see a drone flying outside their window.  Dozens of people have posted on the Nextdoor App about seeing a drone spying inside their windows during the past two weeks.

“My wife started yelling about some drone blinking lights outside of our window and then we saw the drone move from window to window and back and forth,” said Adrian Reyes, the HOA President at the El Cortez. “I was trying to find a golf club to try to hit it out of the window.”

Reyes said he was worried the drone was spying on his wife and newborn child.

“She could have been breastfeeding,” he said. “She could have been with the baby.  She could have gotten out of the shower.”

Reyes said he checked his Nextdoor App and found dozens of other people posted about seeing a drone outside their windows in El Cortez or outside other towers.

The FAA told 10News the El Cortez tower was inside a zone where drones are not allowed because it is too close to San Diego International Airport.  An FAA spokesman said a drone operator needs a permit to fly that close to the airport.  He suggested the residents contact San Diego Police because the operator may have been using his drone as a peeping tom, violating their privacy.  At the very least, the drone was flown illegally too close to the airport.