Buckle up, drone lovers—NYC’s skies are getting wild! The NYPD’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) program just notched another win, with a Skydio drone pilot nabbing a moped thief in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights. This ain’t just about cool tech; it’s about sharp-eyed pilots using drones to clean up the streets. Let’s dive into how a Skydio drone turned a routine patrol into a textbook bust and why this tech is making waves for us drone nerds. The source for this news was straight from a linkedIn post of John Chell, Chief of the NYPD. It all went down when an NYPD drone pilot was flying back from a “shots fired” call in Crown Heights. Picture this: the Skydio drone—likely an X10 with its killer zoom and night vision—cruising over Brooklyn’s urban jungle. The pilot’s scanning the feed, and boom, something’s off. A guy’s lurking in a driveway, looking shadier than a cloudy day. Turns out, he’s in the middle of stealing a moped. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! The pilot doesn’t miss a beat. They lock onto the suspect, streaming live footage to ground officers. It’s like a hawk circling its prey, guiding the cops right to the thief. The result? One arrest, no chase, no drama. The suspect’s got a rap sheet longer than a DJI battery life and an active warrant to boot. Thanks to the drone, he’s off the streets, and that moped’s back where it belongs.

Full report : Skydio Drones Catch a Moped Thief Red-Handed in NYC.

For more see the OODA Company Profile on Skydio.