{"id":141005,"date":"2026-02-21T14:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T14:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/141005\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T14:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T14:42:08","slug":"pressure-from-zohran-mamdani-spurred-drone-companys-ouster-from-nycs-brooklyn-navy-yard-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/141005\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Pressure’ from Zohran Mamdani spurred drone company’s ouster from NYC’s Brooklyn Navy Yard: CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

The head of a drone-manufacturing company <\/a>whose clients include the Israel Defense Forces said his business is being booted from the city-run Brooklyn Navy Yard because of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s \u201cpro-Palestine\u201d agenda.<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. \u2014 whose\u00a0board members serve\u00a0<\/a>at the pleasure of the mayor and manage the 300-acre industrial park \u2014 announced last week it was not renewing the company\u2019s lease, citing \u201cbusiness reasons.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Shahar Abuhazira, CEO of Easy Aerial, told The Post Thursday he has since learned through \u201cprivate conversations\u201d with Navy Yard board members that Mamdani \u2013 who was sworn in as mayor Jan. 1 \u2014 is behind the ouster that ends the company\u2019s seven-year relationship with NYC.<\/p>\n

The head of a drone-manufacturing company whose clients include the Israel Defense Forces said his business is being booted from the city-run Brooklyn Navy Yard because of NYC Mayor Mamdani\u2019s \u201cpro-Palestine\u201d agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me there definitely was pressure from the mayor\u2019s office and recommended not fighting it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The company has long been the\u00a0target of protests<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0the former Navy shipyard<\/a>\u00a0since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and initiated a war in Gaza, primarily from a group called \u201cDemilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard\u201d that has demanded the board evict tenants that assist Israel.<\/p>\n

Security directly over Easy Aerial at the Navy Yard \u201csuddenly\u201d became more lax once Mamdani became mayor, claimed\u00a0Abuhazira, citing a series of recent break-in attempts he said led to broken windows and other damage at the industrial park.<\/p>\n

During a Feb. 11 rally, the anti-Israel protestors gained access into the lobby of the building Easy Aerial rents for six hours. At one point, they openly taunted the company\u2019s co-founder Ivan Stamatovski as NYPD cops escorted him to elevators, video posted by the protesters on Instagram shows.<\/a><\/p>\n

Easy Aerial assists the Israel Defense Forces<\/a>\u00a0by supplying surveillance drones for reconnaissance missions and monitoring borders along the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, but most of its work is with the US Air Force and other federal agencies.<\/p>\n

Its spies-in-the-sky have been used to\u00a0monitor suspicious activity along the Mexican border, and its high-profile work also includes Super Bowl security.<\/p>\n

Abuhazira said the 100-employee company has received offers to relocate out of the Big Apple since The Post broke the news of its ouster <\/a>but is trying to remain in NYC because its staff is mostly Brooklyn-based. He also said the company \u2014 which must leave the industrial park by the end of June \u2014 is considering legal action.<\/p>\n

Shahar Abuhazira, CEO of Easy Aerial, told The Post he learned through \u201cprivate conversations\u201d with Navy Yard board members that Mamdani \u2013 who was sworn in as mayor Jan. 1 \u2014 is behind the ouster that ends the company\u2019s seven-year relationship with NYC. Easy Aerial<\/p>\n

Easy Aerial assists the Israel Defense Forces\u00a0by supplying surveillance drones for reconnaissance missions and monitoring borders along the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, but most of its work is with the US Air Force and other federal agencies.<\/p>\n

\u201dFive months ago, we doubled the size of our space, and they had no issues with that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut since the new mayor got elected [in November], everything has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that is going to cause us a lot of damage,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt is not easy to move a company on such short notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mayor\u2019s Office did not return messages, but Navy Yard spokesperson Claire Holmes insisted the decision was made before Mamdani took office.<\/p>\n

Easy Aerial drone during testing at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Easy Aerial<\/p>\n

\u201cBNYDC declined to renew Easy Aerial\u2019s lease\u00a0in December 2025 after repeated compliance issues dating back to 2023, which include flying drones in unauthorized areas and improper usage of utility sources,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBNYDC communicated with Easy Aerial about these issues by phone, email, and in-person over the last three years. There were no other factors in our decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also said the Navy Yard \u201cconnected\u201d Easy Aerial with the state\u2019s economic development arm, Empire State Development Corp., to help it locate another New York space \u201cin a larger, less dense environment with ample FAA-approved drone flight areas and easy access to utility sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

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