Drone Helps Teen Track Down Family’s Stolen Boat

The drone helped point authorities in the right direction, allowing the boat to be returned.

CAMINO ISLAND, Wash. — Two teenagers were lounging on vacation when they heard something happening on the water. The boat, belonging to the family of one of the kids, was being stolen.

The two were shocked. “Nobody steals boats out here,” Christopher Harris says.

But the unthinkable was actually happening. After the two yelled at the men stealing the boat, Harris’ friend, Nick Garlock, called 911. Meanwhile, Harris pulled out the secret weapon that would bring the family boat back to them: a drone.

“I started chasing them,” Harris tells NWCN. “I was flying about 50 feet above.”

Harris’ drone had no problem catching up to the perpetrators. Eventually the drone ran out of range, but their chase allowed the teenagers to tell police which way the boat was heading, and authorities were able to return the boat to its rightful owners.

“There’s good things and bad things about drones, but if you use them properly, then it’s a positive,” Harris says.

NWCN says there is no update on whether or not the thieves were arrested.


Next: What Do New FAA Laws Mean for Security Industry’s Use of Drones?


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