STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Brooklyn man arrested after he was spotted flying past Staten Island in a powered glider has pleaded guilty to resolve his case, while at the same time is advocating for what he says should be a legal pastime.
Jonathan Warren, 40, copped to a charge of disorderly conduct during a Nov. 22 appearance in Brooklyn Criminal Court. In exchange for his plea, he was sentenced to four days of community service.
The incident unfolded at about 5 p.m. on Nov. 2, following the New York City Marathon. Police initially were investigating reports of an “unlicensed aircraft” and an individual “parachuting” off of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Warren, who resides in the Bed-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, was arrested by police at a park in Gravesend where he landed. His flying apparatus turned out to be a lightweight, fan-powered glider called a paramotor.
Warren has since told Gothamist that he took that same flight path, which started and ended at the park, dozens of times before without any hassle, arguing that his fan-powered flights comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations that permit “ultralight” aircrafts to fly over “uncongested” areas.
Prosecutors, however, say city laws forbid such aircrafts from taking off or landing in public parks.
Warren told the outlet he’s working to form a nonprofit called the Paramotor Flight Standards Association, with the goal of pushing lawmakers to carve out spaces where he and others who share his passion can legally take off and land.