A New Jersey man faced arrest for allegedly dropping dye into swimming pools via his personal drone, The New York Times reported.
Patrick J. Spina IV, 45, was arrested after federal and state agencies investigated a trend of pools in New Jersey turning different colors inexplicably, The New York Times reported. Spina allegedly used a drone to drop dye into the pools.
The pool at the Quality Inn in Absecon, New Jersey, just kept turning green. After the general manager suspected a drone was involved, the police arrested a man who they say was likely “pranking people” by using one to turn multiple pools yellow and green. https://t.co/vaw7IZyRIW pic.twitter.com/HErECOtuta
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 5, 2023
Sandra Woolstion, general manager of the Quality Inn Hotel in Absecon noticed a shift Friday in the color of the water of the pool from the standard blue to a more greenish shade, the outlet reported.
Following standard protocol, hotel staff drained the pool completely, sanitized the entirety of it and then refilled it accordingly. The general manager then left the hotel and when she returned, she saw the water turn yellow, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Man Charged With Poisoning, Killing Almost 50 Fish In Hotel Koi Pond Owned By State Senator’s Wife)
Security footage reportedly showed no interference with the pool and the hotel parking lot was completely empty.
The woman reached out to Galloway Township Police, and Detective Jason Kiamos responded to her outreach.
“It has to be a drone,” Woolstion said. “You might be on to something,” she said he admitted, The NYT noted.
Law enforcement then arrested Spina after identifying a drone that had reportedly been flying from a local business, Comfort Solutions Heating and Cooling. The suspect now faces multiple charges of criminal mischief and harassment, according to The NYT. Kiamos explained that Spina allegedly controlled the drone remotely to launch “packets of Sea Dye” into pools.
The incidents reportedly cost the hotel $20,000 throughout the summer.