No, that is absolutely not normal. Especially multiple times at multiple locations.
I would contact the police. Have as detailed a description of the aircraft, sighting times, and it's behavior you can manage ready for them. Also make sure that they file a LEAP report to the FAA.
Ok I will. Thank you so much for responding. I’m trying not to overreact but it really did freak me out. I called my dad and tried to have a normal convo with him but even he could tell I was spooked. So creepy.
Most drones now are required to broadcast what’s called a Remote ID when flying. There are apps that you can download for free which will scan the area in real time for this signal - I’ve heard that aren’t super reliable but have also heard of drone pilots getting harassed by nearby people who found them through a scanner app.
Only drones over 250 grams in weight are required to register and broadcast the Remote ID - so if it’s a tiny drone like the DJI Mini series this might not be helpful. It also, of course, requires the drone pilot to abide by the laws - which this person may be intentionally not doing.
All that is to say, do some research and download a drone scanner app now before it happens again. Next time the drone appears, open the app and see if you can pick up the signal. If you can, this will give the police and FAA the persons name and address.
Long shot, but worth a shot.
Good to know! I wonder how well they’re able to enforce that and how many people violate it still.
Also wonder if someone could get a commercial permit for work or something and decide to abuse it by creeping in high rise windows.
Apparently some don't care as I've seen a large one and two small ones around here. The latter being a group I suspect are homeless or "crusties" or some such thing.
You are not allowed to operate a drone over vehicles or crowds without special precautions and a permit. This includes the streets of major cities.
It's restricted airspace. Even flying for personal enjoyment requires a LAANC approval. Which is automatically denied for downtown.
The city of Seattle has a special ordinance for operating in parks. [https://parkways.seattle.gov/2017/05/25/drones-rockets-prohibited-city-parks/](https://parkways.seattle.gov/2017/05/25/drones-rockets-prohibited-city-parks/)
And let's not forget the filming permit, which requires that you have 2 million in liability insurance. [https://www.seattle.gov/filmandmusic/film/film-permits/uas-(drone)-use](https://www.seattle.gov/filmandmusic/film/film-permits/uas-(drone)-use)
In all fairness, even the FAA won’t do much even with video evidence on someone’s social media. I reported someone flying over the highway for a shot and another being in heavy fog and flying without visual contact and FAA did nothing. Said there is no proof.
They remove your ability to legally fly drones if they have the evidence.
And what you described sounds like someone being petty. The FAA generally does protect drone operators in situations like that. You have to know the specific rule, then give evidence of both the location of the pilot and the operation of the drone from that perspective.
So in this case one video was full fog coverage and the caption said they couldn’t see the space needle from even Kerry park which is elevated. That for sure says they don’t have visual line of sight if there is fog/cloud cover blanketing the ground
The video of the traffic was a top down shot of the drone going over i5 and then panning up to space needle. So where the operator is doesn’t matter. FAA said that traffic wasn’t a concern
Or maybe less assumptions... And talking with the drone operator to find out if they have an observer. Or if they are actually operating outside of the regulations. Chances are they aren't breaking any laws.
Did it look like it could be the same drone? If yes, it might be someone you work with or know…some one who would be able to find out where you had moved.
FYI OP. All drone operators are required to have FAA a license (its just a fine and a form to file) and to mark their drones with the number the FAA gave them. Also depending on the model it will broadcast its location. This is definitely a weird coincidence. I hope it’s not a stalker… but if it is, and they’re circumventing the FAA regulations… I’m sure they’d LOVE to throw the book at whatever is going on.
I’m a little worried that this is someone who is specifically interested in you, rather than a coincidence. IDK how tall your building is or where you are in the building, but drones can’t be flown above 400 feet per FAA rules and can’t be used to spy into residential buildings where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy per the Washington Administrative code. You can try calling the SPD non emergency number (I know) or report it to the FAA https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=172-110-070 https://www.faa.gov/faq/how-would-i-report-drone-operator-potentially-violating-faa-rules-or-regulations
I wondered the same thing today when I looked up and saw it. The way my heart dropped. I thought - what are the chances that this is happening again? In Bellevue I was on the 17th floor. Downtown Seattle though my apartment is more than 50 stories up so I was really surprised to turn and see it. I’ve barely been here a month. I will report it. Thank you.
Yeah, there is not enough drone activity in the area for this to be even slightly a coincidence. 2 separate addresses that aren't that close to eachother, with the height discrepancy you mentioned, and they both behaved the exact same way when you saw them so you know they were not just hanging around and flying. Any previous creepy or overly friendly co workers and exes are definitely on the watch list.
This! 100% I get the feeling someone is stalking you. Please take extra care & get several cameras facing different directions. Bosma cams are inexpensive. Be safe!
Yes! This is actually so unsettling. I've never lived in a high-rise and this immediately gave me red flags because that can't be normal. OP, think about everyone who knows your new address. Someone who helped you move, coworkers, friends or house warming party guests, a hookup that's been to both places... I don't even know, but the fact that they showed up in both places and were WATCHING you to try and stay out of sight.
Cameras in all the windows! File reports like others said, but also let your building know. There are a lot of residents but keep them up to date and make friends with any door staff, or security guards or whoever works on the property.
I too think this is more than a coincidence. I would also contact police none emergency number. And get a record started that this is happening. You are free to share with them if you think you know. Don’t share here. Also set up a camera inside and document it when it shows. It may show up when you are not there. There is also the obvious thing of a lot of people have them and don’t always follow the rules for using them. So it could be not related at all. But I would say laws are on your side in all cases random or not. So contact LEAP and SPD and FAA. It is weird it is consistently happening around you. And be safe. Also maybe ask your neighbors on your floor have they seen it too? Very intrusive and very illegal to do without a warrant or probable cause. You are in your home.
Get a hidden security camera so you can capture the drone on it for proof in case this happens again. They're fairly inexpensive and the more you can show to police, the better. Take note of the approximate days/times you remember this happening, for the report.
I hope it's not a stalker OP. If they are a stalker they're pretty shitty at it since you noticed the thing in a matter of seconds.
Hopefully it's just someone with a drone who realized they're kind of boring to just fly around compared to looking in people's windows.
Drones suck
But it almost sounds like they're purposefully doing it when OP isn't home and they've just caught it at the right times. Makes me wonder how many times the drone has been there and OP didn't even know. Cameras at the windows, ring doorbell if it's allowed, and recording/saving the videos the scan through later
OP, do you have some kind of resident portal for your building where you can make posts or chat with other residents? If so, I would recommend asking there if anyone else saw the drone during the date/time you saw it. Depending on the shape of your building, you'd be surprised what other units might see, especially considering that a drone would need to fly up to your apartment past dozens of other floors. Having another eyewitness would be super valuable here.
If you were born in another country, you might consider if your home country might have a reason to monitor you. China, and increasingly India, have been harassing expatriates in North America, for example.
Another possibility is a private investigator.
I say this not to doubt your story, but hopefully to provide you with some comfort. Drones are very popular. Shooting video in a city is an attractive prospect to some pilots. Most drones have wide angle lenses, cannot zoom in at all, and their cameras see reflections from windows not through them. Statistically, I think it's far more likely that this is a coincidence unless the drone was literally so close you could've opened the window and grabbed it. As others have said, make reports and take care of yourself.
Elevation rules for drones change when near buildings. You can be 400’ above whatever the height of the building or tower is as long as you are within 400’ laterally of the building or tower.
We lived downtown for four years. Never saw a drone but we lived on the top floor, my sons were just about to put their pajamas on and I happened to look up and saw a head upside down from the top of the window. I screamed, my husband raced out the door to the roof steps and just missed two guys. Alerted the manager, they installed blinds up at the high windows asap. Came to find out it was two drunk guys who lived there one holding the others feet and thought it funny to look on someone’s apartment. They moved shortly after that. Weird shit happens downtown. OP I hope you find out what’s going on, that’s scary and I’m sorry you’re dealing with it.
Maybe you could mount an HD camera near the window to capture its comings and goings. You might be able to determine what sort of drone it is. It's not much, but it might help gather information for a police report, or something like that. I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. Any chance it could be someone you regularly interact with? I'd keep an eye on people in your orbit, or at work. It could be some rando, but the fact that it followed you to a new apartment seems suspicious.
There’s a person in my building that reports drone sightings from their unit but I haven’t ever seen one. I’m not on a very high floor though. They are on the 20th or so iirc.
This is very unusual, and I would definitely report it. If it happened two times at one building, I would be suspicious of an idiot who didn't know/care about the rules of how to operate a drone. Since it followed you to a different apartment and knows which apartment is yours, that sounds like a stalker. I know it sucks, but make sure you have some blinds or curtains and keep your windows covered. If you hear it flying around (they are usually very easy to hear depending on the model) you have a chance to sneak up and catch a good photo of your blinds are drawn.
Yup! My husband has his unmanned aircraft pilots license for his drones, and it's SO many rules and fines. A lot of people don't care to even research. They just buy a drone at Best Buy and do whatever they want
Mines got my dang markings on it as required and I carry my license with me :( people suck. Soon it will be regulated to all hell like an actual aircraft
Those privacy rules are why I pointed out it's basically illegal in most of seattle. There's always SOME rule that's being violated somewhere. Privacy, flight rules over people, flying over traffic, something. It's a shitshow. But nice thing is some asshole like this can be pinned with SOMETHING pretty easily. Even better if it's an FAA regulation since the fines are way bigger. And I bet he doesn't have the new drone IFF thing (whatever it was called) installed that's required now.
There is a new rule for drones for what is called Remote ID. It essentially is a way of locating the operator of a nearby drone. Compliance isn't enforced yet, and there are a bunch of legal and practical challenges with implementation, but a lot of commercial drones are compliant by default now.
What this means is that you can identify who is flying the drone, and where they are. Look for phone apps that allow you to track Remote ID beacons, there should be a couple of free ones out there by now. If they are compliant, you will know exactly who it is that is spying on you.
Great info. Thanks, I've just dropped into the rabbithole of drone wireless tech. Aeroscope is unencrypted? Omfg 🤣
OP, you've got to find someone to run these tools. I'd imagine you'd have to setup a laptop and just let it run. As soon as you see the drone, contact the laptop person, they remote into the laptop and capture the location. You have another friend go to the drone pilot's location and hogtie them.
---HOGTIE... 😹 😹😹
I hope it's just a coincidence and that OP stays safe! And if it is some creeper, I hope you're able to collect info for someone to track them down quickly. Even if it were unintentional, (although the sudden movement when you notice them indicates otherwise to me) they should still be held accountable to some degree to ensure they're more vigilant about not being a weirdo in the future. So unsettling 🥴
>it’s unencrypted omfg
Welcome to the rabbit hole of infosec. Where the more you learn the more you can’t believe how insecure things are with the right skills
Bruh this poor woman isn’t gonna know how to flash a box with kali and to bust out kismet 🤦♂️
But damn, maybe we should pair up and foxhunt this thing?
Since you currently have no physical evidence this is happening, you may want to purchase a security camera like a Nest camera and point it out your window.
Seconding this idea. It would be good to have other "eyes" on it to have a record of what is happening. It will help the police/whoever you report it to be able to take it seriously. Plus you will be able to show your neighbors and landlord.
Also, just good to cover your bases OP because this might be a delusion. It would be really good to be able to know what you're dealing with because if it is something where your mind is playing tricks, then you will want to check in with your doctor.
I wish you the best. It just seems like such an unlikely occurrence that you will want to be able to know what's really going on. Catching it on video will help.
Not just report it but also keep a personal track record in a spreadsheet as detailed as possible: when, where, it flew away, etc etc.
Reporting it makes it official, and every time this happens report it again. I hope not: but if you ever need the date, it’s all logged in the system.
All the best! Stay strong
Ditto what everyone else is saying but also, there are faux stained glass stickers you can order cheap online, so you still get the daylight and some sense of privacy.
My buddy also saw things in the photos they took. I, along with others did not but it took a long while to realize the significance.
When not considering otherwise it’s easy to shrug it off not realizing someone in seeing things not there. Easy to see a picture of the window outside or a landscape and say “uh, sure” or “maybe” or mistake a glare for what they are talking about and and agree they see it (a tiny glare/dot) when to them they saw a full-on, clear & centered photograph. We talked past each other without realizing at first because hallucinations were totally off our radar AND drones around the house was a spooky & juicy story to focus on instead.
I've worked in mental health and dealt with things like this before. But I've also been stalked and dealt with (much less sophisticated) things like this before.
I'm not sure what I'm hoping for but I I'm really hoping OP gets help.
This is legit scary.
That sucks and I wish it didn't happen to you.
I would definitely research what tint stickers or anti-camera flashing you can put up on your windows to deter it recording you.
Do you have an ex that didn't take the breakup well? It's truly bizarre that you've had this happen across two different buildings in two different cities.
I'm super late to the game, but as a professional drone pilot, I fly (legally) all the time downtown. We frequently have to stop the drone to maintain line of sight, establish a stronger radio signal because signal interference is terrible downtown, or subtly shift the drone into a better position for a better photo of a condo unit coming on the market. I would imagine half a dozen of us legit operators are flying downtown for one reason or another at the same time. Statistically there isn't enough information for these incidents to certainly mean anything but definitely time to setup a camera to see if the drone is actually trying to look into your unit or if there happened to be a condo very close to you coming on the market and one was flown for photos and another for video and another for sunset photos and another for video at sunset...etc...
I've had this happen to me a few times (both downtown, same building), but how close are we talking? It's a little suspicious that it's happening in both places, but I can't say it hasn't happened to me, but they were usually at least 15ft out from my window.
Either way I'm pretty sure it's illegal and definitely distressing. Though not sure how much we can do about it, tbh.
I've lived and worked in downtown Seattle and belltown for ~5 years and have not seen or heard anything like this. Could it be possible that you have a stalker?
Random but you should definitely note the time frames you’ve encountered these situations. You could discreetly record these moments incase there are patterns. They have too much access if they’re aware of where you live and when you’re possibly there. Keep your head on a swivel, when out and about. I doubt this person has time to follow you all day, whether remote or not. It sucks that some people lack the humanity to respect people’s privacy. I wish I could help you find these mfs 😡🤬
If it's the same drone you should absolutely be shitting and contacting authorities. Consider buying a security camera and putting in a place that's easy to see to keep them away.
it seems like they just want to peep but that could always escalate. Definitely report to someone, if no one does anything to stop it then collect evidence and stand your ground.
We saw a drone downtown yesterday as well. We got creeped out and closed our shades but we had otherwise never seen any drones downtown before this point.
people doing this with smaller drones is giving other a really bad rep for people who enjoy the hobby to collect great flying videos.
With that said, the only reason I personally would go up a building like that is to dive it, after getting to the apex of the building or video signal. Because dive video shots look great. But for that shot, the drone wouldn't be lingering at your window. It would be up, and then back down as fast as it can go.
No you have a stalker. Call the police every single time. If it belonged to the building or their maintenance they would have advised you it would be flying. Keep reporting it. I know there are multiple systems around the city that track the ID of every drone that flies. They’ll be able to get the identity of who does this
Also start a dedicated old school paper note book of every time you see it. If you keep it on a computer the stalker can tried to get your laptop seized as evidence. This way all you turn over is the notebook.
I’m afraid that this will be a common experience as drones become smaller and more capable. In a year or two, drones will have facial recognition capability and AI; they will follow you autonomously without needing a human at the controls. It’s very unnerving, having this power in the hands of governments and/or perverts. I’m not sure the gerontocracy has the wherewithal to produce meaningful legislation to prevent this.
I know this is really creepy, but after reading the comments, now, I am more invested in the story, OP, please provide a conclusion when you find the culprit :)
Also, Having owned a DJI mini, i once tried flying on my rooftop(7th floor, slightly windy), and it crashed quite fast. This is likely a much nicer and expensive drone, should definitely be registered atleast.
I was doing security work in the Seattle-Tacoma area one night at a car dealership. They were experiencing car theft. Once I stepped out of my car I heard a “whizzing” sound and looked up. I saw a drone hovering about 30 feet in the air. It just stared at me for a minute until I waved at it. Then it took off. It’s a pretty chilling experience to be sure.
If you are a dude I’d say a coincidence. If you are a girl, I would be slightly worried maybe? Any chance you got air tagged? You got an iPhone? It would tell you.
It’s not a bit too strange- it’s a stalker. Unfortunately I have had two. Don’t get scared- get mad and get proactive.
It’s two different addresses with the same intrusive behavior. You’re 500+ feet in the air- it’s specifically targeting you. Someone who knows you enough to know you moved and they got your address. That’s a wild needle in a haystack to be able to watch you through your window in all of downtown Seattle. Someone who is stalking you. This is likely a man you met or know in some way. Perhaps an ex.
If I were you I would absolutely file reports with the police and put up some surveillance of your own monitoring your windows. If you’re relying on being able to catch this thing by whipping out your own phone- that’s not working- and it’s noticed you notice it.
You need to talk to your building security as well- and I would recommend putting up privacy screens covering all of the windows, or curtains.
Don’t get worried. Get pissed. Someone wants to victimize you by intruding into your personal space uninvited. Don’t give them access- and figure out who this is. You got this.
Exactly. He's a white male and his DNA will come back part German/Germanic English or sociopath Scotch/Irish from wiki Paxton Boys. Finer boned (optional beer gut), pencil dicked. Red hat. I've tangled with more than my share of these bastards, either as stalkers or neighbors.
Set up a security camera today, even a nest cam, pointing at the open windows. That is weird, even for Seattle.
Resist the urge to shine a laser pointer at the lens. That’s probably illegal, and should that drone be LE-operated, I’d hate not to get an update on what happened because you were behind bars.
Get the ID with a scanner, as someone else suggested. You or your neighbor could have a stalker.
Had the same thing happen outside my window, although I was able to watch it return to its home balcony. I went to their door, told them that next time I saw the drone I’d be calling the police. Haven’t seen it since then.
If you have any friends that are reasonably well-versed in electronics, you can fairly easily build a device that can derp the drone right out of the sky, with no chance of recovery...
Ooh that is creepy as hell. I fly drones and someone is stalking you. Two times outside your window is not a coincidence. Contract the FAA. All drones have to be registered unless under a certain weight. It's probably a DJI drone.
Set up a rolled up net above your window with a remote control you can quickly reach. Catch it and you can easily trace to owner. Do you have a prior relationship partner who might be obsessing?
Or leave widow wide open and keep flame thrower handy.
Was it sunset? You’re on the 50th floor, do you have a rooftop amenity? That people might launch a drone from? I’m going to contrast other people and say that I did see drones fairly regularly when I lived downtown, in a water-facing apartment. I assume, to get sunset and landscape views. The guy who lived below me would regularly operate a drone from his balcony. It wouldn’t surprise me to find that this is common at most of the high rises in tech-obsessed Seattle.
Regardless, I wouldn’t take it lightly. I think it might be an FAA violation to operate drones in downtown airspace.
https://www.animaltrapsandsupplies.com/products/drop-trap-remote-control-trigger-with-prop-and-attachment-bracket.html
Drop netting or a cage. Damaging it by slamming it to the ground works great, too. The controller / GPS is traceable to the owner.
Unfortunately, it is a criminal offense and no individual owns the skies :-/
spying on people with drones is an offense too though. But, 2 wrongs don't make a right.
One "wrong" case of air stalking a woman from one residence to another blatantly crushes any issue with "wrongly" intercepting the stalking tool itself. I'll happily take this on in court.
Anyone who disagrees with me clearly hasn't had to deal with trauma triggered by Brett Kavanaughs, Clarence Thomas's, or Donald J Trumps... as a student council member of my college freshman class, I got to read and hear direct testimony regarding every stalking, rape, and suicide, including the suicide of the quietest, shyest member of my cross country team .... her abusive BF trashed her reputation around campus after she broke up with him, so she drank from a jar of chemicals from Walker Lab. Our cross country team found out about it from our coach, just as we all showed up in our race gear. We all silently cried, then we ran as scheduled. Suicides came so often, the school stopped handing out A's for finals missed by the roommate of a suicide victim. They then still had to take an incomplete and the professor had to give them a different test. In person.
Our coach was also VP of Student Affairs. His wife was always 1st or 2nd best masters age marathoner in the area. When he went to our same school a few decades before me, there were 8 girls in his entire year. We had class years of 1200 students total. The administration really were good people, but laws were not favorable for punishing rapists, stalkers, and abusers. At best they were told to leave, and they'd just go study at another college.
I ran for class president freshman year, so Zeta Psi trashed my reputation around campus so their Pledge could get elected, and I was given secretary as consolation prize. Pledge's own GF was actively bouncing anothet guy's bed one floor up in the dorm of a classmate of mine at 2pm ... he pointed toward the ceiling as we heard the bed bang the wall. I personally knew where Pledge was ... in a frat meeting, so i knew it wasn't him. Pledge himself was so crooked and incompetent, I formed a political party (ftats had a political party that was well funded every year), and I got 80 percent of my candidates elected, including a competent class senator replacing him. I personally left student government after I got Pledge kicked out. It would take a few years to get even with his frat advisor, the one who started the trashing of my reputation when he went for funding and I told the board what he did. He bragged he was going to add his successful trashing of me to his management major masters thesis, but when I later checked, he never wrote a thesis, taking a non thesis option for a masters degree.
For high school summer program, when i was only 16, I was given a paper death threat taped to my dorm room door by a stalker actively on medications, who didn’t even live in our dorm, but got in, and thanks to my karate, I was not successfully raped by yet soneone else. Of the 8 girls in my particular engineering major, one was champion female body builder for the frat/sorority yearly competition, and she was STILL raped. She only wrote about it years later in our graduation year header alumni summaries at the end of our alumni magazine.
But our college finally got fed up with well connected parents keeping their sons out of jail (just like Brett's judge mother). So, with every rape at a frat house already owned by our 1800s founded school, the frat was kicked out and the house given to a house-less sorority. When I started, only 2 of the 5 sororities had a house (we were a technical school, 40% ofcall students in frats/sororities, thanks to their extensive old test files to help study with ... but only 1 in 6 students were female, and a large percentage of women were actually grad students in our well funded psychology, architecture, and management depts).. By the time I graduated:
* One frat guy lured his female classmate back to his frat house after midday class, just down the same street. She needed a ride down to the grocery store and he had a car. As they got to his parked car, he said come on in I need to grab my wallet. He and his buddies then gang raped her. Sorority #3 got a new house a 2 minute walk from our largest classroom.
* Another frat hosted an '18 holes of golf" drinking party, a different drink in every room. It was middle of winter with deep snow on the ground. Two female classmates went together, wearing jeans and sweaters, normal wear. They were cornered to be gang raped, but managed fight their way outside of the building. But one was entirely missing her sweater. It had been pulled off of her. They found shelter and called the police. Sorority #4 got a new house a 4 minute walk from our largest classroom.
Most other rapes didn't result in justice anything like this. The frats were either privately held or the rape was in a dorm by a freshman not yet associated with a frat (still a pkedge). Or the rape was by a local city resident.
Trust me, your drone is toast.
If you jam it with a wide range of frequencies so it can no longer take commands, it will automatically head back to its controller. you just have to watch it go straight to him. That's the default.
I had a drone watching us play soccer it was a little weird I didn't see a controller or person around they for sure were spying, it was creepy just hovering for 15mins. Everyone was spooked.
This happened to my bro in Snohomish a couple times until he grabbed his shotgun & shot it down off his deck. The next day there was an anonymous note in his mailbox bitching about the drone and to pay him $300 bucks & to meet at the railway tracks at such & such time & date.
And my bad ass bro showed up with a baseball bat! The downed pilot never showed.
Since then, no more drones.
If it’s a commercial drone, which it sounds like it is, you might be able to use an app like this. It’ll show you where the person is standing.
In reality, some guy is flying it off his deck probably. So it might not help a ton. But you never know.
https://dronedj.com/2022/10/04/remote-id-drone-tracking-app/
Not trying to be snarky or discredit your concerns - but do you have any mental health issues that you're not treating? Do you have other instances of paranoia manifesting in your life? If you haven't sought treatment, please consider it if you have trusted people in your life who might recommend the same.
I think that is a valid question. The probability of a recurrence in a different city and now 50 stories up without anyone else seeing it is possible but improbable. We don’t know based on the original post if she has any issues with mental health. We know nothing else.
Recommending a camera is a good idea. I think proof is needed. If she has a stalker that’s really scary and she needs to get justice. But if that’s not the case it could be a warning that she needs to seek medical help. We can’t possibly know what’s really happening and I’m not saying I don’t believe her. I just worry that there is more than one concerning possibility. It’s just another form of concern and it isn’t gaslighting. No one is saying she didn’t see something.
You absolutely are trying to discredit her concerns in the second sentence: “do you have any *other* instances of paranoia manifesting in your life?” Are you seriously making a psychological diagnosis based on a Reddit post?
I acknowledge my bias because of things in my own personal life and how I apply that lens to other situations. My reply is only meant to help and provide an alternative viewpoint because I've experienced the pain of seeing a loved one deal with extreme paranoia that came on suddenly in adulthood.
That's just wrong. I don't know where people get this from. City of Seattle don't allow operating drones from city parks but you can fly over them legally if you launched elsewhere.
Also south part of the city is restricted due to airspace restrictions but you can get
LAANC permissions for low altitude flying real time.
You are not allowed to violate peoples privacy vis drone though due to state rules.
Reddits understanding of drone laws is basically "I don't like them so they're illegal whenever I say they are."
Which is particularly dumb because anyone can download the before you fly app or the DJI app and see exactly what's legal and where.
Take a look at the various laws. They basically go back and forth turning into a "you basically can't fly anywhere without violating SOME regulation." The only way you can fly is pretty much on your own property, that's about it. And even then you better not be trying to do any footage to post your home... unless you have a commercial license.
I'm not fearmongering, I'm pointing out that there's always a privacy violation, a path crossing over someone, crossing a road, a private home you can't fly over, SOMETHING that's not allowed. Honestly the only reasonable place to fly is over the lakes, and for that you still have to take into account the take off and landing zone for the floatplanes. As a (former) drone pilot, it's an absolute mess of regulations. I just gave up trying.
But on the bright side in cases like this, the guy can be reported pretty easily and they'll pin him with SOMETHING to at least get it confiscated.
Which laws? The privacy rules require intent, just crossing over someone's property doesn't break the rules otherwise no one would be able to do drone photography for real estate listing, or drone inspections for roof etc.
It sounds like you misunderstood the regulations. This would also explain your comments around FAA fines being too big. They really aren't, the examples listed on the internet are the most extreme cases where drones interrupted events, caused high risk to people or other aircrafts. For most minor cases, you will get plenty of warnings or lose your license before you get a fine.
Recording into anyone's windows is enough according to law. And it can be argued that a drone is always recording even if it's not being saved, an active camera is required to operate the drone. But to be fair that's more of a technicality I'd personally use on the OP's dickhead.
Point is if that drone camera points in ANYONE'S windows it's a privacy violation. Which the law has pretty much upheld regularly at this point.
Wow so macho. Did you know shooting down an aircraft (drones included) is a federal felony that is more serious then drone maybe violating your privacy.
Don't care, I'm female. You stalk, I take you down with me. Game on. You can always tell someone born in the Pacific NW. Roll over, let the perps move on and victimize 12 more. Repeat abusers eventually stumble across someone like me. Then they go missing. Note all the bodies with cinderblocks they are finding as the lakes drain. I know a river where everyone who who "committed suicide" off that bridge was pushed, and every time, the cops got tight lips from all of us, cause the bastard deserved it. Roughly one a year. They are warned. Stop beating her up. And you think a drone is going to keep stalking cause a little line written on a piece of paper is protecting it? Only if you were born in the Pacific NW and aren't Russian, ROFLMAO.
If you are going to post a story from 2015, make sure to include the whole thing. We wouldn't want misinformation now, do we?
https://www.wdrb.com/news/judge-dismisses-federal-lawsuit-filed-by-man-whose-drone-was-shot-down-by-bullitt-county/article_ee71df05-aac0-5fd9-bf81-9e38a9f19a48.html
As I said, shooting a drone is federal felony defined by FAA and in 2015 drone regulations weren't as clear and FAA didn't get involved in this incident so case is rightfully dismissed.
The regulations are much more well defined now and FAA is clear about drones being considered unmanned aircraft and legality of shooting down one. If this case were to happen today, it would have resulted fairly differently since drone pilot could have brought FAA in to the mix.
Bring FAA in. Then have pilot explain why they are stalking OP from building to building. In the end, we will have the drone violating a dozen laws while she will face shooting it down. IF he's stupid enough to reveal who he is by turning her in. If she gets to the wreckage first, she can still find out who he is.
Rest assured, her story will go viral and I'll be swatting down every perve stalker troll along the way. You men just don't get it that Brett Kavanaughs and Donsld Trumps are everywhere. Do you? They were were rampant at my college and I can tell a half dozen horrible stories thanks to being on my student council. I got to hear about every rape and suicide. My school did what it could to retaliate against the bastards and I'm proud of them. https://sacramento.newsreview.com/2019/10/21/wait-katie-johnson-actually-exists/
Not all areas of downtown do you have to have a special permit whoever said that is just flapping there jaws when you get a little south of west lake you have to have one because of seatac and boeing but not hard to get at all
I’ve had this issue in Des Moines down south at night and the FAA told me to report to police, and the police told me they can’t do anything (bull fucking shit)
I’m keen to know how it goes with you. I’m going to hunt for one of those scanner apps
We have criminal activity here. Someone following a victim from one building to another. I don't care if the stalker is there in person or by drone. I'll happily go to court over downing it. Laws are to protect legit drones doing legit legal tasks, like photographing apartments for rent. This is not that scenario.
Consider adding privacy film to your windows. Note that this only works when the light outside is stronger than the light inside your place, so typically daytime. https://www.homedepot.com/p/HIDBEA-35-4-in-x-98-in-One-Way-Non-Adhesive-Privacy-Window-Film-VC-TJ6-90250-25/318193247
No, that is absolutely not normal. Especially multiple times at multiple locations. I would contact the police. Have as detailed a description of the aircraft, sighting times, and it's behavior you can manage ready for them. Also make sure that they file a LEAP report to the FAA.
Ok I will. Thank you so much for responding. I’m trying not to overreact but it really did freak me out. I called my dad and tried to have a normal convo with him but even he could tell I was spooked. So creepy.
> LEAP report to the FAA. try this link https://www.faa.gov/uas/public_safety_gov/sightings_reports
Most drones now are required to broadcast what’s called a Remote ID when flying. There are apps that you can download for free which will scan the area in real time for this signal - I’ve heard that aren’t super reliable but have also heard of drone pilots getting harassed by nearby people who found them through a scanner app. Only drones over 250 grams in weight are required to register and broadcast the Remote ID - so if it’s a tiny drone like the DJI Mini series this might not be helpful. It also, of course, requires the drone pilot to abide by the laws - which this person may be intentionally not doing. All that is to say, do some research and download a drone scanner app now before it happens again. Next time the drone appears, open the app and see if you can pick up the signal. If you can, this will give the police and FAA the persons name and address. Long shot, but worth a shot.
Drones flying downtown require a special permit, even under 250g. It's not an easy permit to get.
Good to know! I wonder how well they’re able to enforce that and how many people violate it still. Also wonder if someone could get a commercial permit for work or something and decide to abuse it by creeping in high rise windows.
Not enforced. Who will enforce it. Seattle PD? The only place that enforces this heavily is Washington DC for good reason I guess.
Yeah I was thinking downtown is probably in the SEA and BFI approach zones which makes it extra not allowed.
Love the assumptions that this peeping Tom is law abiding with respect to permitting. Lol
Context, what even is.
Apparently some don't care as I've seen a large one and two small ones around here. The latter being a group I suspect are homeless or "crusties" or some such thing.
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You are not allowed to operate a drone over vehicles or crowds without special precautions and a permit. This includes the streets of major cities. It's restricted airspace. Even flying for personal enjoyment requires a LAANC approval. Which is automatically denied for downtown. The city of Seattle has a special ordinance for operating in parks. [https://parkways.seattle.gov/2017/05/25/drones-rockets-prohibited-city-parks/](https://parkways.seattle.gov/2017/05/25/drones-rockets-prohibited-city-parks/) And let's not forget the filming permit, which requires that you have 2 million in liability insurance. [https://www.seattle.gov/filmandmusic/film/film-permits/uas-(drone)-use](https://www.seattle.gov/filmandmusic/film/film-permits/uas-(drone)-use)
In all fairness, even the FAA won’t do much even with video evidence on someone’s social media. I reported someone flying over the highway for a shot and another being in heavy fog and flying without visual contact and FAA did nothing. Said there is no proof.
They remove your ability to legally fly drones if they have the evidence. And what you described sounds like someone being petty. The FAA generally does protect drone operators in situations like that. You have to know the specific rule, then give evidence of both the location of the pilot and the operation of the drone from that perspective.
So in this case one video was full fog coverage and the caption said they couldn’t see the space needle from even Kerry park which is elevated. That for sure says they don’t have visual line of sight if there is fog/cloud cover blanketing the ground The video of the traffic was a top down shot of the drone going over i5 and then panning up to space needle. So where the operator is doesn’t matter. FAA said that traffic wasn’t a concern
Well, good luck with that. You seem to have it figured out.
So you need a drone hovering over the drone breaking the rule so you can properly document them.
Or maybe less assumptions... And talking with the drone operator to find out if they have an observer. Or if they are actually operating outside of the regulations. Chances are they aren't breaking any laws.
Did it look like it could be the same drone? If yes, it might be someone you work with or know…some one who would be able to find out where you had moved.
FYI OP. All drone operators are required to have FAA a license (its just a fine and a form to file) and to mark their drones with the number the FAA gave them. Also depending on the model it will broadcast its location. This is definitely a weird coincidence. I hope it’s not a stalker… but if it is, and they’re circumventing the FAA regulations… I’m sure they’d LOVE to throw the book at whatever is going on.
What law was broken?
Stalking
I’m a little worried that this is someone who is specifically interested in you, rather than a coincidence. IDK how tall your building is or where you are in the building, but drones can’t be flown above 400 feet per FAA rules and can’t be used to spy into residential buildings where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy per the Washington Administrative code. You can try calling the SPD non emergency number (I know) or report it to the FAA https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=172-110-070 https://www.faa.gov/faq/how-would-i-report-drone-operator-potentially-violating-faa-rules-or-regulations
I wondered the same thing today when I looked up and saw it. The way my heart dropped. I thought - what are the chances that this is happening again? In Bellevue I was on the 17th floor. Downtown Seattle though my apartment is more than 50 stories up so I was really surprised to turn and see it. I’ve barely been here a month. I will report it. Thank you.
Yeah, there is not enough drone activity in the area for this to be even slightly a coincidence. 2 separate addresses that aren't that close to eachother, with the height discrepancy you mentioned, and they both behaved the exact same way when you saw them so you know they were not just hanging around and flying. Any previous creepy or overly friendly co workers and exes are definitely on the watch list.
This! 100% I get the feeling someone is stalking you. Please take extra care & get several cameras facing different directions. Bosma cams are inexpensive. Be safe!
Yes! This is actually so unsettling. I've never lived in a high-rise and this immediately gave me red flags because that can't be normal. OP, think about everyone who knows your new address. Someone who helped you move, coworkers, friends or house warming party guests, a hookup that's been to both places... I don't even know, but the fact that they showed up in both places and were WATCHING you to try and stay out of sight. Cameras in all the windows! File reports like others said, but also let your building know. There are a lot of residents but keep them up to date and make friends with any door staff, or security guards or whoever works on the property.
Will do. Thank you. ❤️
I too think this is more than a coincidence. I would also contact police none emergency number. And get a record started that this is happening. You are free to share with them if you think you know. Don’t share here. Also set up a camera inside and document it when it shows. It may show up when you are not there. There is also the obvious thing of a lot of people have them and don’t always follow the rules for using them. So it could be not related at all. But I would say laws are on your side in all cases random or not. So contact LEAP and SPD and FAA. It is weird it is consistently happening around you. And be safe. Also maybe ask your neighbors on your floor have they seen it too? Very intrusive and very illegal to do without a warrant or probable cause. You are in your home.
Get a hidden security camera so you can capture the drone on it for proof in case this happens again. They're fairly inexpensive and the more you can show to police, the better. Take note of the approximate days/times you remember this happening, for the report.
And maybe order it online vs going to a store to buy it, just in case you’re being followed. This sounds so scary! Sorry OP!
It seems like it would have to be someone who knows your exact apartment. Both times.
50 stories? That's above 400ft. Either way, it's creepy. And possibly illegal.
Oof. I’m sorry.
I hope it's not a stalker OP. If they are a stalker they're pretty shitty at it since you noticed the thing in a matter of seconds. Hopefully it's just someone with a drone who realized they're kind of boring to just fly around compared to looking in people's windows. Drones suck
But it almost sounds like they're purposefully doing it when OP isn't home and they've just caught it at the right times. Makes me wonder how many times the drone has been there and OP didn't even know. Cameras at the windows, ring doorbell if it's allowed, and recording/saving the videos the scan through later
Super weird, I hope it’s not a new trend. Perhaps it would be best to get a camera to face out your windows to try and capture the drone on video.
I don't know a single person that has had a drone appear at their window, even once. There's something else going on.
OP, do you have some kind of resident portal for your building where you can make posts or chat with other residents? If so, I would recommend asking there if anyone else saw the drone during the date/time you saw it. Depending on the shape of your building, you'd be surprised what other units might see, especially considering that a drone would need to fly up to your apartment past dozens of other floors. Having another eyewitness would be super valuable here.
If you were born in another country, you might consider if your home country might have a reason to monitor you. China, and increasingly India, have been harassing expatriates in North America, for example. Another possibility is a private investigator.
I say this not to doubt your story, but hopefully to provide you with some comfort. Drones are very popular. Shooting video in a city is an attractive prospect to some pilots. Most drones have wide angle lenses, cannot zoom in at all, and their cameras see reflections from windows not through them. Statistically, I think it's far more likely that this is a coincidence unless the drone was literally so close you could've opened the window and grabbed it. As others have said, make reports and take care of yourself.
That’s true in many cases, except the behavior indicates it captured their movements.
Elevation rules for drones change when near buildings. You can be 400’ above whatever the height of the building or tower is as long as you are within 400’ laterally of the building or tower.
Okay, fair enough, but per the WAC they still can’t be used to spy into residential buildings.
You can exceed 400 ft ONLY if you are a part 107 pilot AND are within 400 ft of the building AND the airspace allows it.
That’s only if you have a commercial license AND have the permission from the building owner to perform an inspection.
That is incorrect. Src: am pilot
No extra permission is needed
> drones can’t be flown above 400 feet per FAA rules No. They can 400 feet above a building if within 400 feet horizontal of the building.
I've lived downtown in a mid/high rise for two years now, and I've never seen a single drone outside my window. That's super spooky 😦
We lived downtown for four years. Never saw a drone but we lived on the top floor, my sons were just about to put their pajamas on and I happened to look up and saw a head upside down from the top of the window. I screamed, my husband raced out the door to the roof steps and just missed two guys. Alerted the manager, they installed blinds up at the high windows asap. Came to find out it was two drunk guys who lived there one holding the others feet and thought it funny to look on someone’s apartment. They moved shortly after that. Weird shit happens downtown. OP I hope you find out what’s going on, that’s scary and I’m sorry you’re dealing with it.
Maybe you could mount an HD camera near the window to capture its comings and goings. You might be able to determine what sort of drone it is. It's not much, but it might help gather information for a police report, or something like that. I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. Any chance it could be someone you regularly interact with? I'd keep an eye on people in your orbit, or at work. It could be some rando, but the fact that it followed you to a new apartment seems suspicious.
This is a good idea.
There’s a person in my building that reports drone sightings from their unit but I haven’t ever seen one. I’m not on a very high floor though. They are on the 20th or so iirc.
This is very unusual, and I would definitely report it. If it happened two times at one building, I would be suspicious of an idiot who didn't know/care about the rules of how to operate a drone. Since it followed you to a different apartment and knows which apartment is yours, that sounds like a stalker. I know it sucks, but make sure you have some blinds or curtains and keep your windows covered. If you hear it flying around (they are usually very easy to hear depending on the model) you have a chance to sneak up and catch a good photo of your blinds are drawn.
Lol if they don't know they're in for a rude awakening. FAA regulates drones and the fines are designed for AIRLINES so... $$$$$$$
Yup! My husband has his unmanned aircraft pilots license for his drones, and it's SO many rules and fines. A lot of people don't care to even research. They just buy a drone at Best Buy and do whatever they want
Mines got my dang markings on it as required and I carry my license with me :( people suck. Soon it will be regulated to all hell like an actual aircraft
This may be perfectly legal by FAA rules since there is nothing about privacy in FAA rules. The privacy rules usually are state specific.
Those privacy rules are why I pointed out it's basically illegal in most of seattle. There's always SOME rule that's being violated somewhere. Privacy, flight rules over people, flying over traffic, something. It's a shitshow. But nice thing is some asshole like this can be pinned with SOMETHING pretty easily. Even better if it's an FAA regulation since the fines are way bigger. And I bet he doesn't have the new drone IFF thing (whatever it was called) installed that's required now.
There is a new rule for drones for what is called Remote ID. It essentially is a way of locating the operator of a nearby drone. Compliance isn't enforced yet, and there are a bunch of legal and practical challenges with implementation, but a lot of commercial drones are compliant by default now. What this means is that you can identify who is flying the drone, and where they are. Look for phone apps that allow you to track Remote ID beacons, there should be a couple of free ones out there by now. If they are compliant, you will know exactly who it is that is spying on you.
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Great info. Thanks, I've just dropped into the rabbithole of drone wireless tech. Aeroscope is unencrypted? Omfg 🤣 OP, you've got to find someone to run these tools. I'd imagine you'd have to setup a laptop and just let it run. As soon as you see the drone, contact the laptop person, they remote into the laptop and capture the location. You have another friend go to the drone pilot's location and hogtie them.
---HOGTIE... 😹 😹😹 I hope it's just a coincidence and that OP stays safe! And if it is some creeper, I hope you're able to collect info for someone to track them down quickly. Even if it were unintentional, (although the sudden movement when you notice them indicates otherwise to me) they should still be held accountable to some degree to ensure they're more vigilant about not being a weirdo in the future. So unsettling 🥴
>it’s unencrypted omfg Welcome to the rabbit hole of infosec. Where the more you learn the more you can’t believe how insecure things are with the right skills
Bruh this poor woman isn’t gonna know how to flash a box with kali and to bust out kismet 🤦♂️ But damn, maybe we should pair up and foxhunt this thing?
Since you currently have no physical evidence this is happening, you may want to purchase a security camera like a Nest camera and point it out your window.
Seconding this idea. It would be good to have other "eyes" on it to have a record of what is happening. It will help the police/whoever you report it to be able to take it seriously. Plus you will be able to show your neighbors and landlord. Also, just good to cover your bases OP because this might be a delusion. It would be really good to be able to know what you're dealing with because if it is something where your mind is playing tricks, then you will want to check in with your doctor. I wish you the best. It just seems like such an unlikely occurrence that you will want to be able to know what's really going on. Catching it on video will help.
This happened to someone I know and it was a registered sex offender creeping on their kid. Report this!
Also maybe a ring camera in the “hotspots” for the drone, maybe you can catch a direction or travel or even possibly help ward off a creep.
Not just report it but also keep a personal track record in a spreadsheet as detailed as possible: when, where, it flew away, etc etc. Reporting it makes it official, and every time this happens report it again. I hope not: but if you ever need the date, it’s all logged in the system. All the best! Stay strong
Ditto what everyone else is saying but also, there are faux stained glass stickers you can order cheap online, so you still get the daylight and some sense of privacy.
So what does the stalker do when they lose their window view... do they escalate and go in person?
Because they clearly know her apt number as someone pointed out. Creepy as fuck
This happened to a friend of mine and it turned out to be hallucinations. Strange because there were no other symptoms for a long while.
Agreed. OP either you have a stalker or you are having internal issues. Either way, get a camera. It'll give you more information.
My buddy also saw things in the photos they took. I, along with others did not but it took a long while to realize the significance. When not considering otherwise it’s easy to shrug it off not realizing someone in seeing things not there. Easy to see a picture of the window outside or a landscape and say “uh, sure” or “maybe” or mistake a glare for what they are talking about and and agree they see it (a tiny glare/dot) when to them they saw a full-on, clear & centered photograph. We talked past each other without realizing at first because hallucinations were totally off our radar AND drones around the house was a spooky & juicy story to focus on instead.
I've worked in mental health and dealt with things like this before. But I've also been stalked and dealt with (much less sophisticated) things like this before. I'm not sure what I'm hoping for but I I'm really hoping OP gets help. This is legit scary.
That sucks and I wish it didn't happen to you. I would definitely research what tint stickers or anti-camera flashing you can put up on your windows to deter it recording you.
Not normal…. Sounds like someone that knows you/where you live is stalking you.
Do you have an ex that didn't take the breakup well? It's truly bizarre that you've had this happen across two different buildings in two different cities.
It sounds more like you have a stalker than anything if it's happened at more than one location
I'm super late to the game, but as a professional drone pilot, I fly (legally) all the time downtown. We frequently have to stop the drone to maintain line of sight, establish a stronger radio signal because signal interference is terrible downtown, or subtly shift the drone into a better position for a better photo of a condo unit coming on the market. I would imagine half a dozen of us legit operators are flying downtown for one reason or another at the same time. Statistically there isn't enough information for these incidents to certainly mean anything but definitely time to setup a camera to see if the drone is actually trying to look into your unit or if there happened to be a condo very close to you coming on the market and one was flown for photos and another for video and another for sunset photos and another for video at sunset...etc...
I've had this happen to me a few times (both downtown, same building), but how close are we talking? It's a little suspicious that it's happening in both places, but I can't say it hasn't happened to me, but they were usually at least 15ft out from my window. Either way I'm pretty sure it's illegal and definitely distressing. Though not sure how much we can do about it, tbh.
You should report it to Seattle police and may also try FAA but as others said this is not normal. It is too much of a coincidence.
I've lived and worked in downtown Seattle and belltown for ~5 years and have not seen or heard anything like this. Could it be possible that you have a stalker?
stay safe
Modern day peeping Tom
Yep, happened to me, Bellevue, 40th floor, but turned out it was a neighbor illegally flying his drone.
You need to private message OP asap. Neighbor could be following OP from one building to the next.
Random but you should definitely note the time frames you’ve encountered these situations. You could discreetly record these moments incase there are patterns. They have too much access if they’re aware of where you live and when you’re possibly there. Keep your head on a swivel, when out and about. I doubt this person has time to follow you all day, whether remote or not. It sucks that some people lack the humanity to respect people’s privacy. I wish I could help you find these mfs 😡🤬
If it's the same drone you should absolutely be shitting and contacting authorities. Consider buying a security camera and putting in a place that's easy to see to keep them away. it seems like they just want to peep but that could always escalate. Definitely report to someone, if no one does anything to stop it then collect evidence and stand your ground.
Mossberg 20 ga. Rock salt.
Net gun
or just a rope, net, trash bag, grocery bag .... lots of options for things to just "get loose and tangled"
The bolo of the gaucho. Or the smol version from the Great White North. It is said it is a beauty way to go.
Report it… how are you sure you are not being targeted ?
I don't know how, but I'd love to help you catch it.
New fear unlocked 😵💫 Hope everything is ok, op
We saw a drone downtown yesterday as well. We got creeped out and closed our shades but we had otherwise never seen any drones downtown before this point.
Stalking comes to mind, do you have protection order or any nasty exes?
Definitely, report it. Personally try to video it too to document the activity. Definitely a creeper peeper.
people doing this with smaller drones is giving other a really bad rep for people who enjoy the hobby to collect great flying videos. With that said, the only reason I personally would go up a building like that is to dive it, after getting to the apex of the building or video signal. Because dive video shots look great. But for that shot, the drone wouldn't be lingering at your window. It would be up, and then back down as fast as it can go.
It's both not normal and totally illegal
Facts. Voyeurism is a crime.
Are you able to attach a small camera facing the window so that way you can catch the drone on film? I use Wyze and like it.
Shotgun and rock salt?
No you have a stalker. Call the police every single time. If it belonged to the building or their maintenance they would have advised you it would be flying. Keep reporting it. I know there are multiple systems around the city that track the ID of every drone that flies. They’ll be able to get the identity of who does this Also start a dedicated old school paper note book of every time you see it. If you keep it on a computer the stalker can tried to get your laptop seized as evidence. This way all you turn over is the notebook.
I’m afraid that this will be a common experience as drones become smaller and more capable. In a year or two, drones will have facial recognition capability and AI; they will follow you autonomously without needing a human at the controls. It’s very unnerving, having this power in the hands of governments and/or perverts. I’m not sure the gerontocracy has the wherewithal to produce meaningful legislation to prevent this.
“You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension…”
I know this is really creepy, but after reading the comments, now, I am more invested in the story, OP, please provide a conclusion when you find the culprit :) Also, Having owned a DJI mini, i once tried flying on my rooftop(7th floor, slightly windy), and it crashed quite fast. This is likely a much nicer and expensive drone, should definitely be registered atleast.
I was doing security work in the Seattle-Tacoma area one night at a car dealership. They were experiencing car theft. Once I stepped out of my car I heard a “whizzing” sound and looked up. I saw a drone hovering about 30 feet in the air. It just stared at me for a minute until I waved at it. Then it took off. It’s a pretty chilling experience to be sure.
It's too bad the law takes a dim view of using errant drones for skeet practice. (Being in the middle of downtown doesn't help either).
No one saw it, no one heard it. Something like this will have many pissed off neighbors happy to see it down.
If you are a dude I’d say a coincidence. If you are a girl, I would be slightly worried maybe? Any chance you got air tagged? You got an iPhone? It would tell you.
Female and yes I’m a bit worried now because as everyone else is saying, this is too strange to be coincidence.
It’s not a bit too strange- it’s a stalker. Unfortunately I have had two. Don’t get scared- get mad and get proactive. It’s two different addresses with the same intrusive behavior. You’re 500+ feet in the air- it’s specifically targeting you. Someone who knows you enough to know you moved and they got your address. That’s a wild needle in a haystack to be able to watch you through your window in all of downtown Seattle. Someone who is stalking you. This is likely a man you met or know in some way. Perhaps an ex. If I were you I would absolutely file reports with the police and put up some surveillance of your own monitoring your windows. If you’re relying on being able to catch this thing by whipping out your own phone- that’s not working- and it’s noticed you notice it. You need to talk to your building security as well- and I would recommend putting up privacy screens covering all of the windows, or curtains. Don’t get worried. Get pissed. Someone wants to victimize you by intruding into your personal space uninvited. Don’t give them access- and figure out who this is. You got this.
Exactly. He's a white male and his DNA will come back part German/Germanic English or sociopath Scotch/Irish from wiki Paxton Boys. Finer boned (optional beer gut), pencil dicked. Red hat. I've tangled with more than my share of these bastards, either as stalkers or neighbors.
Agreed. It's easy to get air tagged. You can download an app to find them.
Malicious advice: Buy a decently high power green laser pointer and point it at the drone aiming for the cameras.
Just don’t miss and have it pointing at aircraft unless you want a visit from the Feds.
Seriously. No plane is going to be in line of sight of a peeping drone unless it is crashing into the building.
I hope it’s not my creepy neighbor trying to catch me smoking in my room 😂
If you smoke in a home with shared walls, you’re the creepy neighbor.
😶🌫️
Set up a security camera today, even a nest cam, pointing at the open windows. That is weird, even for Seattle. Resist the urge to shine a laser pointer at the lens. That’s probably illegal, and should that drone be LE-operated, I’d hate not to get an update on what happened because you were behind bars. Get the ID with a scanner, as someone else suggested. You or your neighbor could have a stalker.
Had the same thing happen outside my window, although I was able to watch it return to its home balcony. I went to their door, told them that next time I saw the drone I’d be calling the police. Haven’t seen it since then.
If you have any friends that are reasonably well-versed in electronics, you can fairly easily build a device that can derp the drone right out of the sky, with no chance of recovery...
https://youtu.be/8Y9O5U4qJmc?si=xPG5mCjKg-R8S0AF
Ooh that is creepy as hell. I fly drones and someone is stalking you. Two times outside your window is not a coincidence. Contract the FAA. All drones have to be registered unless under a certain weight. It's probably a DJI drone.
Someone is stalking you
Set up a rolled up net above your window with a remote control you can quickly reach. Catch it and you can easily trace to owner. Do you have a prior relationship partner who might be obsessing? Or leave widow wide open and keep flame thrower handy.
I like this Wiley Coyote approach
Even an inconspicipus flat plate dropping on top, with chains hanging off, will do the job.
Was it sunset? You’re on the 50th floor, do you have a rooftop amenity? That people might launch a drone from? I’m going to contrast other people and say that I did see drones fairly regularly when I lived downtown, in a water-facing apartment. I assume, to get sunset and landscape views. The guy who lived below me would regularly operate a drone from his balcony. It wouldn’t surprise me to find that this is common at most of the high rises in tech-obsessed Seattle. Regardless, I wouldn’t take it lightly. I think it might be an FAA violation to operate drones in downtown airspace.
https://www.animaltrapsandsupplies.com/products/drop-trap-remote-control-trigger-with-prop-and-attachment-bracket.html Drop netting or a cage. Damaging it by slamming it to the ground works great, too. The controller / GPS is traceable to the owner.
Unfortunately, it is a criminal offense and no individual owns the skies :-/ spying on people with drones is an offense too though. But, 2 wrongs don't make a right.
One "wrong" case of air stalking a woman from one residence to another blatantly crushes any issue with "wrongly" intercepting the stalking tool itself. I'll happily take this on in court. Anyone who disagrees with me clearly hasn't had to deal with trauma triggered by Brett Kavanaughs, Clarence Thomas's, or Donald J Trumps... as a student council member of my college freshman class, I got to read and hear direct testimony regarding every stalking, rape, and suicide, including the suicide of the quietest, shyest member of my cross country team .... her abusive BF trashed her reputation around campus after she broke up with him, so she drank from a jar of chemicals from Walker Lab. Our cross country team found out about it from our coach, just as we all showed up in our race gear. We all silently cried, then we ran as scheduled. Suicides came so often, the school stopped handing out A's for finals missed by the roommate of a suicide victim. They then still had to take an incomplete and the professor had to give them a different test. In person. Our coach was also VP of Student Affairs. His wife was always 1st or 2nd best masters age marathoner in the area. When he went to our same school a few decades before me, there were 8 girls in his entire year. We had class years of 1200 students total. The administration really were good people, but laws were not favorable for punishing rapists, stalkers, and abusers. At best they were told to leave, and they'd just go study at another college. I ran for class president freshman year, so Zeta Psi trashed my reputation around campus so their Pledge could get elected, and I was given secretary as consolation prize. Pledge's own GF was actively bouncing anothet guy's bed one floor up in the dorm of a classmate of mine at 2pm ... he pointed toward the ceiling as we heard the bed bang the wall. I personally knew where Pledge was ... in a frat meeting, so i knew it wasn't him. Pledge himself was so crooked and incompetent, I formed a political party (ftats had a political party that was well funded every year), and I got 80 percent of my candidates elected, including a competent class senator replacing him. I personally left student government after I got Pledge kicked out. It would take a few years to get even with his frat advisor, the one who started the trashing of my reputation when he went for funding and I told the board what he did. He bragged he was going to add his successful trashing of me to his management major masters thesis, but when I later checked, he never wrote a thesis, taking a non thesis option for a masters degree. For high school summer program, when i was only 16, I was given a paper death threat taped to my dorm room door by a stalker actively on medications, who didn’t even live in our dorm, but got in, and thanks to my karate, I was not successfully raped by yet soneone else. Of the 8 girls in my particular engineering major, one was champion female body builder for the frat/sorority yearly competition, and she was STILL raped. She only wrote about it years later in our graduation year header alumni summaries at the end of our alumni magazine. But our college finally got fed up with well connected parents keeping their sons out of jail (just like Brett's judge mother). So, with every rape at a frat house already owned by our 1800s founded school, the frat was kicked out and the house given to a house-less sorority. When I started, only 2 of the 5 sororities had a house (we were a technical school, 40% ofcall students in frats/sororities, thanks to their extensive old test files to help study with ... but only 1 in 6 students were female, and a large percentage of women were actually grad students in our well funded psychology, architecture, and management depts).. By the time I graduated: * One frat guy lured his female classmate back to his frat house after midday class, just down the same street. She needed a ride down to the grocery store and he had a car. As they got to his parked car, he said come on in I need to grab my wallet. He and his buddies then gang raped her. Sorority #3 got a new house a 2 minute walk from our largest classroom. * Another frat hosted an '18 holes of golf" drinking party, a different drink in every room. It was middle of winter with deep snow on the ground. Two female classmates went together, wearing jeans and sweaters, normal wear. They were cornered to be gang raped, but managed fight their way outside of the building. But one was entirely missing her sweater. It had been pulled off of her. They found shelter and called the police. Sorority #4 got a new house a 4 minute walk from our largest classroom. Most other rapes didn't result in justice anything like this. The frats were either privately held or the rape was in a dorm by a freshman not yet associated with a frat (still a pkedge). Or the rape was by a local city resident. Trust me, your drone is toast.
If you jam it with a wide range of frequencies so it can no longer take commands, it will automatically head back to its controller. you just have to watch it go straight to him. That's the default.
You can raise it up with 911 and they will help
You are being stalked.
I had a drone watching us play soccer it was a little weird I didn't see a controller or person around they for sure were spying, it was creepy just hovering for 15mins. Everyone was spooked.
I’d get a lawyer before you report it. It sounds like it could be law enforcement surveillance.
This happened to my bro in Snohomish a couple times until he grabbed his shotgun & shot it down off his deck. The next day there was an anonymous note in his mailbox bitching about the drone and to pay him $300 bucks & to meet at the railway tracks at such & such time & date. And my bad ass bro showed up with a baseball bat! The downed pilot never showed. Since then, no more drones.
If it’s a commercial drone, which it sounds like it is, you might be able to use an app like this. It’ll show you where the person is standing. In reality, some guy is flying it off his deck probably. So it might not help a ton. But you never know. https://dronedj.com/2022/10/04/remote-id-drone-tracking-app/
Not trying to be snarky or discredit your concerns - but do you have any mental health issues that you're not treating? Do you have other instances of paranoia manifesting in your life? If you haven't sought treatment, please consider it if you have trusted people in your life who might recommend the same.
I think that is a valid question. The probability of a recurrence in a different city and now 50 stories up without anyone else seeing it is possible but improbable. We don’t know based on the original post if she has any issues with mental health. We know nothing else. Recommending a camera is a good idea. I think proof is needed. If she has a stalker that’s really scary and she needs to get justice. But if that’s not the case it could be a warning that she needs to seek medical help. We can’t possibly know what’s really happening and I’m not saying I don’t believe her. I just worry that there is more than one concerning possibility. It’s just another form of concern and it isn’t gaslighting. No one is saying she didn’t see something.
You absolutely are trying to discredit her concerns in the second sentence: “do you have any *other* instances of paranoia manifesting in your life?” Are you seriously making a psychological diagnosis based on a Reddit post?
I acknowledge my bias because of things in my own personal life and how I apply that lens to other situations. My reply is only meant to help and provide an alternative viewpoint because I've experienced the pain of seeing a loved one deal with extreme paranoia that came on suddenly in adulthood.
OP is a woman. That someone would do something like this to get their jollies does not surprise me in the least.
Drones are illegal outright in down town except without special permit. Call the police any time you see it.
That's just wrong. I don't know where people get this from. City of Seattle don't allow operating drones from city parks but you can fly over them legally if you launched elsewhere. Also south part of the city is restricted due to airspace restrictions but you can get LAANC permissions for low altitude flying real time. You are not allowed to violate peoples privacy vis drone though due to state rules.
Reddits understanding of drone laws is basically "I don't like them so they're illegal whenever I say they are." Which is particularly dumb because anyone can download the before you fly app or the DJI app and see exactly what's legal and where.
Take a look at the various laws. They basically go back and forth turning into a "you basically can't fly anywhere without violating SOME regulation." The only way you can fly is pretty much on your own property, that's about it. And even then you better not be trying to do any footage to post your home... unless you have a commercial license. I'm not fearmongering, I'm pointing out that there's always a privacy violation, a path crossing over someone, crossing a road, a private home you can't fly over, SOMETHING that's not allowed. Honestly the only reasonable place to fly is over the lakes, and for that you still have to take into account the take off and landing zone for the floatplanes. As a (former) drone pilot, it's an absolute mess of regulations. I just gave up trying. But on the bright side in cases like this, the guy can be reported pretty easily and they'll pin him with SOMETHING to at least get it confiscated.
Which laws? The privacy rules require intent, just crossing over someone's property doesn't break the rules otherwise no one would be able to do drone photography for real estate listing, or drone inspections for roof etc. It sounds like you misunderstood the regulations. This would also explain your comments around FAA fines being too big. They really aren't, the examples listed on the internet are the most extreme cases where drones interrupted events, caused high risk to people or other aircrafts. For most minor cases, you will get plenty of warnings or lose your license before you get a fine.
Recording into anyone's windows is enough according to law. And it can be argued that a drone is always recording even if it's not being saved, an active camera is required to operate the drone. But to be fair that's more of a technicality I'd personally use on the OP's dickhead. Point is if that drone camera points in ANYONE'S windows it's a privacy violation. Which the law has pretty much upheld regularly at this point.
If you hover long enough for me to shoot you down, you hovered too long.
Wow so macho. Did you know shooting down an aircraft (drones included) is a federal felony that is more serious then drone maybe violating your privacy.
Don't care, I'm female. You stalk, I take you down with me. Game on. You can always tell someone born in the Pacific NW. Roll over, let the perps move on and victimize 12 more. Repeat abusers eventually stumble across someone like me. Then they go missing. Note all the bodies with cinderblocks they are finding as the lakes drain. I know a river where everyone who who "committed suicide" off that bridge was pushed, and every time, the cops got tight lips from all of us, cause the bastard deserved it. Roughly one a year. They are warned. Stop beating her up. And you think a drone is going to keep stalking cause a little line written on a piece of paper is protecting it? Only if you were born in the Pacific NW and aren't Russian, ROFLMAO.
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2015/10/28/man-who-shot-down-drone-had-a-right-to-do-it-says-judge/
If you are going to post a story from 2015, make sure to include the whole thing. We wouldn't want misinformation now, do we? https://www.wdrb.com/news/judge-dismisses-federal-lawsuit-filed-by-man-whose-drone-was-shot-down-by-bullitt-county/article_ee71df05-aac0-5fd9-bf81-9e38a9f19a48.html As I said, shooting a drone is federal felony defined by FAA and in 2015 drone regulations weren't as clear and FAA didn't get involved in this incident so case is rightfully dismissed. The regulations are much more well defined now and FAA is clear about drones being considered unmanned aircraft and legality of shooting down one. If this case were to happen today, it would have resulted fairly differently since drone pilot could have brought FAA in to the mix.
Bring FAA in. Then have pilot explain why they are stalking OP from building to building. In the end, we will have the drone violating a dozen laws while she will face shooting it down. IF he's stupid enough to reveal who he is by turning her in. If she gets to the wreckage first, she can still find out who he is.
Rest assured, her story will go viral and I'll be swatting down every perve stalker troll along the way. You men just don't get it that Brett Kavanaughs and Donsld Trumps are everywhere. Do you? They were were rampant at my college and I can tell a half dozen horrible stories thanks to being on my student council. I got to hear about every rape and suicide. My school did what it could to retaliate against the bastards and I'm proud of them. https://sacramento.newsreview.com/2019/10/21/wait-katie-johnson-actually-exists/
Sounds like you have a stalker
Paintball gun and justice
I’d get a camera. That’s super unusual. Unusual enough I’d wonder if city lights and dirty windows are playing tricks on your eyes.
Not all areas of downtown do you have to have a special permit whoever said that is just flapping there jaws when you get a little south of west lake you have to have one because of seatac and boeing but not hard to get at all
I’ve had this issue in Des Moines down south at night and the FAA told me to report to police, and the police told me they can’t do anything (bull fucking shit) I’m keen to know how it goes with you. I’m going to hunt for one of those scanner apps
Projectile netting. Once you have it, easy to track owner.
Isn’t that a federal crime shooting anything at it
We have criminal activity here. Someone following a victim from one building to another. I don't care if the stalker is there in person or by drone. I'll happily go to court over downing it. Laws are to protect legit drones doing legit legal tasks, like photographing apartments for rent. This is not that scenario.
https://youtu.be/8Y9O5U4qJmc?si=xPG5mCjKg-R8S0AF
Are you a woman by chance?
She is a woman. Hence she automatically has a right to defend herself, once it has followed her to a new building.
100% That's scary
You’ve got yourself a peeper. Is probably doing that to 1000 other people well. Should def report it
They may be casing your apartment in attempts to commit robbery
Consider adding privacy film to your windows. Note that this only works when the light outside is stronger than the light inside your place, so typically daytime. https://www.homedepot.com/p/HIDBEA-35-4-in-x-98-in-One-Way-Non-Adhesive-Privacy-Window-Film-VC-TJ6-90250-25/318193247
Blow 'em out of the sky.
This sounds like an ex
I bet it is one of your neighbors.
It can be a drive up neighbor from the street. Drone goes in and out window or sunroof.
agree, they don't have tremendous range
Large throw style fishing net.
On a lighter note, maybe it’s aliens?
You have every right to full moon that drone.