Airspace over Pittsburgh’s North Shore and Point State Park will be closed to recreational and personal drones during the 2026 NFL Draft, FBI officials said Friday.
Richard Evanchec, who leads the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, said anyone operating an unauthorized drone in the restricted airspace could face both criminal and civil penalties.
“There will be some drones that are authorized to cover those events, but we are encouraging the public: do not bring your drones anywhere near these sites,” he said during a news conference at Point State Park. “If you do, you will be dealt with swiftly.”
The flight restriction extends one nautical mile from the actual draft festivities during the week of the draft.
“If individuals are caught operating personal or recreational drones in those areas, the FBI and our local partners do have means to identify those and bring them to justice,” Evanchec said.
He advised the public that there will be some drone operators who have been given permission to fly in the restricted airspace. These people should be wearing Federal Aviation Administration vests.
If fans see unsanctioned drone operators violating the rules, they should call 911 so FBI and other teams can respond, he said.
“The FBI is deploying teams and special equipment to make sure that any threat posed by drones that aren’t authorized are dealt with seriously and quickly,” Evanchec said. “We will take violations of that airspace very seriously.”
Drones can be used for a range of nefarious purposes, Evanchec said, including carrying payloads or other dangerous devices.
“They’re an emerging technology out there that is so widely available now to the pubic,” he said. “Simply by crashing, they could bring significant casualties to those that are below.”