A 20-foot U.S. military target drone washed ashore in Boynton Beach, Florida.
Police said passersby on the beach reported the orange unmanned aircraft, identified as a BQM-167A, at Ocean Ridge Hammock Park, and authorities closed off the area and guarded it until the Air Force arrived to reclaim it.
“As you can see, it is safe for people to be around. We’ve assured everyone that it is safe. We’ve been assured by the sheriff’s office and the Air Force that there is no danger to anyone going near it,” Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins said, according to WPTV-TV.
Air Force 1st Lt. Savanah Bray said the drone was used for training by the 53rd Wing, which is based at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida, after which they are usually retrieved after being shot down.
The Air Force drone has been removed from the beach. @WPTV pic.twitter.com/wUF4hdyDQW
— Miranda Christian (@MirandaWPTV) March 19, 2021
“It is not quite as random as you might think,” Bray told the outlet. “There is nothing dangerous … and we recover these on a regular basis, and sometimes, we are just unable to.”
Ocean Ridge Hammock Park is a little more than 10 miles south of where former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is located in Palm Beach.
