The owner of a drone that crashed into Seattle's Space Needle on New Year's Eve faces charges that could lead to jail time and a fine.
The entire flight and crash into the tower was recorded by a drone, posted online this week and quickly went viral. The three-minute video shows the drone filming a magnificent view of the city for about two minutes and then suddenly flying straight towards the top of the tower, where three workers were at the time.
CNN reports that police tracked down the owner of the drone using its serial number. The FAA has required drone owners to register their devices since 2016 in case of incidents like this.
Although the state of Seattle does not currently have any drone ordinances, its owner can be punished with up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine for reckless endangerment.
"It's like we've installed a drone magnet on the Space Needle," the tower's CEO Ron Sevart told CNN. This is the third time Space Needle management has found a drone on it.
Watch the video below:
