Cape May County Man Indicted for Allegedly Shooting Down Neighbor's Drone

A 33-year-old man has been indicted on charges of second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree criminal mischief for allegedly shooting down a remote control helicopter, also known as a “drone” that was flying in the area of his home last year, - Cape May County Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor said on Tuesday.

Russell Percenti allegedly shot down a remote control helicopter belonging to his neighbor, Leonard Helbig, of the Villas, on Sept. 26, 2014. Helbig said he was using the drone to take pictures of his friend’s house that was under construction.

While operating the drone, Helbig said he heard several gunshots at the same time he lost control of the drone. Once he retrieved the drone, he noticed it was damaged and contacted Lower Township Police.

Percenti was arrested following an investigation. Police seized a shotgun from his home.

When Percenti allegedly shot the drone down, it was in the vicinity of his home on the 1000 block of Seashore Road in the Erma section of Lower Township.

Percenti faces 5-10 years in state prison on the second degree crime and up to 18 months on the fourth-degree crime if convicted.