Drone crashes into stands during U.S. Open match; N.Y. teacher arrested

You can’t blame Italian tennis player Flavia Pennetta for thinking of a doomsday scenario when a drone crashed into the stands during her second-round match at the U.S. Open on Thursday night in New York.

The drone flew above Louis Armstrong Stadium before crashing into an empty seating area of the 10,000-seat venue, one of the larger at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

“If there had been spectators, it would have hit them and done a lot of damage,” Pennetta said.

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Early Friday, a New York City teacher was arrested in connection with the drone crash, police said.

According to the Associated Press, Daniel Verley, 26, faces charges of reckless endangerment and operating a drone in a New York City public park outside of a prescribed area.

Pennetta, who admitted the incident was “a little bit scary,” wondered how something like that could happen because of all the security measures.

“With everything going on in the world, I thought, ‘OK, it’s over,’” said Pennetta, who eventually defeated Romania’s Monica Niculescu, 6-1, 6-4. “That’s how things happen.

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“All of these,” she added of security measures to enter the grounds, “and then it comes in from above.”

Pennetta and Niculescu were scheduled to play on a smaller court but their match was moved to Armstrong Stadium when other matches there wrapped up early.

Internet and news service reports contributed to this report.

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