(WHTM)– A Pennsylvania man is facing charges for flying a drone over the Baltimore Ravens – Kansas City Chiefs playoff game, according to the Department of Justice.

Matthew Hebert, 44, of Chadds Ford, Pa, faces federal felony charges after he was accused of flying a drone over M&T Bank stadium during the AFC Championship game on Jan. 28, the DOJ says.

A temporary flight restriction (TFR) was put in place for the stadium during the game, which precluded the flight of any UAS under the Exception for Recreational Flyers. The TFR is standard practice for for stadiums or sporting venues and goes in effect an hour before the game then lasts until an hour after the event, the DOJ says.

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The playoff game had to be temporarily suspended after the incursion of the drone, and Maryland State Police (MSP) were able to track the drone right over the stadium. With the help of the FBI, MSP were able to track the drone back to the area where it was deployed by Hebert at the 500 block of South Sharp Street in Baltimore.

According to the filed criminal complaint, the drone, a DJI UAS, was never registered and Hebert did not have a Remote Pilot certificate. The complaint states that Hebert relied on the DJI application to tell him where he could fly and in the past the application denied him multiple times. He thought he was allowed to fly on Jan. 28 since it did not tell him he couldn’t.

Hebert, the DOJ says, managed to take six photos of the stadium, himself, and may have even recorded the game. He allegedly flew the drone about 100 meters high for around two minutes.

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If he is convicted, the DOJ says that Hebert could face a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison for knowingly operating an unregistered UAS and for knowingly serving as an airman without an airman’s certificate. He also faces a maximum of one year in federal prison for willfully violating the United States National Defense Airspace.

“Operating a drone requires users to act responsibly and educate themselves on when and how to use them safely,” Acting Special Agent of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office R. Joseph Rothrock said in a statement. “The FBI would like to remind the public of the potential dangers of operating a drone in violation of federal laws and regulations. The reckless operation of a UAS in the vicinity of a large crowd can be dangerous to the public, as well as interfere with other law enforcement and security operations.”

Rothrock announced the charges along with United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek Barron, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Regional Office and MSP.

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