The future is now for drone technology as a crime-fighting tool for the NYPD; Mayor Eric Adams declared days after the gadgets were used in a successful hostage rescue during a violent home invasion in Douglaston during the early morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 17.
The mechanical “eyes in the sky” proved invaluable, as a family of eight was saved from three men from Cambria Heights, who were all caught by cops as they tried to make a run for it during an overcast morning when NYPD aviation units were grounded.
“These drones using infrared and the heating mechanism were able to communicate with the officers on the ground,” Adams said during his weekly briefing on Aug. 20. “Not only does it save the lives of the officers who are responding on what could be extremely hectic and dangerous, but it gives you the view from the sky.”
The success of the drones deployed during the Douglaston home invasion came after the Adams administration rolled out the “Digidog” mechanical canine in the spring of 2023 and after the K5 robot was put into storage after a two-month trial at the Times Square subway station was met with derision from critics. Adams said the drones were invaluable in the successful operation to rescue the eight Douglaston family members, including three children.
“This is why when you hear people mock drones and think they’re toys and think that we should not be using them, this is why we use them. It saves lives,” Adams said. “So the next time we want to mock one, think about if you’re the victim of a home invasion.”
Brandon Dash, 39, his brother Ryan Dash, 34, and Jone Smith, 47, were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on a 24-count complaint charging them with kidnapping, burglary, assault, endangering the welfare of a child and other related crimes.
Armed with a handgun and two hammers, the three masked men entered a bedroom at the home on 247th Street at around 2:30 a.m. and demanded cash, according to the charges. A woman escaped through a window with her one-year-old daughter and called 911. Police from the 111th Precinct in Bayside and 109th Precinct in Flushing responded to the location. NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry and the Emergency Service Unit arrived at the crime scene and the drones were launched.
Inside the home, one of the perpetrators struck the husband in the foot with a hammer saying, “Don’t mess with us. Where is the money?” The injured husband limped into the living room, where he retrieved a bag containing more than $10,000 in cash and handed it to his three masked assailants, according to the criminal complaint. The hostages were moved to the basement and tied up, except for the family matriarch, who was punched in the face by one of the masked men before all three climbed out of a window at the rear of the home and into the backyard.
“They were panicking. They didn’t know what to do,” Daughtry said. “And I guess they took it amongst themselves to all jump out the same window and run in different directions. It was very chaotic.”
Police watching the drone feed on their personal devices identified the three home invaders, who were all taken into custody shortly afterward. The hostages were freed, and the cash was recovered.
“I felt like I was on a Hollywood set watching the whole police operation take place,” Daughtry said.
The three defendants were remanded into custody without bail. They each face a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted.
