Flying a drone over Hart Island mass graves got a photographer cited and his drone seized
Apr 17, 2020
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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The number of coronavirus-related deaths in New York City is alarming. Because of this, there have reportedly been more mass burials on Hart Island than ever. Photographer George Steinmetz was recently documenting a burial ditch on Hart Island with his drone, which put him in legal trouble. His drone was confiscated by the police and he was issued a Desk Appearance Ticket.
Steinmetz is a regular contributor for National Geographic and The New York Times, with over 30 years of experience under his belt. The incident happened last Thursday when he was documenting the preparations for mass burials on Hart Island. According to DPReview, he was cited for violating NYC Administrative Code § 10–126. This code prohibits the takeoff and landing of drones within New York City. And from what we know, it can be quite tricky to legally fly a drone in NYC, even for professional pilots.
Speaking with DPReview, Steinmetz said that his encounter with the NYPD “was not about any safety or privacy considerations that [he] assumes the law was designed for.”
“The officers who cited me were not local, and appeared to be working in conjunction with city employees involved with Hart Island interments. It was a clear example of a law being used for petty press intimidation. It doesn’t look good to see the city’s poor treated like toxic waste.”
Steinmetz managed to save the images he took and he shared one to his Instagram account. He explains that the images show preparations “for burials of what appear to be more COVID-19 victims this morning on Hart Island, New York City.”
“For over 150 years this island with no public access has been used to bury over a million souls [whose] bodies were not claimed for private burial. With the morgues of NYC strained, the pace of burials on Hart Island has increased dramatically.”
The photographer writes that he was cited by NYPD while taking this photo, his drone was confiscated as evidence, and he is scheduled to appear in court mid-August. There are hundreds of comments on the photo, and people’s opinions vary greatly. Some call it “disrespectful” to take photos of a burial. Others believe that, in moments like this, these images are important evidence of the situation the world’s going through. One comment especially caught my attention, replying to someone’s claim that taking these photos is disrespectful:
“These are unprecedented times. Controversial documentation such as this is now part of our history. Were photos of the dead during the Spanish flu disrespectful? Are photos of war dead disrespectful?”
It’s certainly debatable whether photos like this are ethical or not. And I’m sure we all have strong opinions about the subject. Personally, I believe that all faces of this pandemic should be documented. And for the most part, these faces are not nice. Not to mention that there are images way more graphic and disturbing than these, so all in all, I personally wouldn’t say that Steinmetz’s photos are disrespectful to the dead. But of course, that’s just my two cents. I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter, too.
[via DPReview]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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38 responses to “Flying a drone over Hart Island mass graves got a photographer cited and his drone seized”
Definitely important to be shooting these type of images – especially in a country notorious for covering things up
Yet photos of the burials were all over the news already — nothing was being covered up here that needed exposing by an illegal drone flyover, and I’m speaking as a drone owner myself. Dude took a chance and got caught, now it’s time to pay the piper.
Amen brother
Good! Entirely disrespectful!
Entirely news worthy!
So in disaster areas it’s ok? in war zones it’s ok?
in New York because it’s a stark reflection of reality its.. disrespectful?
Yet there is an entire museum set up to honor mass burial, I think it was a sad reality that need be known. I feel it rather honored those lost so that we might never forget them. They deserved to be known and deserve more than to be buried out of sight like a secret.
I agree, I feel like Trump is taking this virus as a joke,by not doing something quicker and not sending medical supplies to New Yorkers! Everyone who dies deserve a proper burial not just stacked up on 100 people don’t know who they are.
Would a photographer standing on the ground photographing it have his camera seized? I would hope not. It’s Photojournalism. It should be captured. (The photo, not the drone)
It said there’s no public access to the island, so he would of probably got arrested for criminal trespassing or something else stupid if he would of been there on the ground taking the pics.
Unfortunately with drone pilots it doesn’t work this way. You’re not even allowed to take a photograph and sell it unless you have a license. If not you get fine once for the initial violation and $100 per time the photo or video is sold or used. But legally you could use a camera with a telephoto lens and take that same photo. Then sell it as many times as you want with out worry of a fine.
This is not disrespectful, this is documenting history.
or just against the law
This shows the reality of what the US really is. Nothing more, nothing less.
Amen
Just another reason to fly beyond LOS. It’s hard to arrest what you can’t find?
Trump started this and now he’s trying to hide all the dead bodies that this virus has killed! He wouldn’t even help with supplies for New York!! I believe Trump is the Anti-Christ!
Heidi Love ? wake the f up, I’m not a trump fan, but he didn’t start this. Another thing, Your boy Cumeo is the one trying to hide the bodies if anyone is. Get an education and quit spewing your ignorance, The whole situation is sad and deserves more than your bias opinion.
How is Coumo trying to hide the bodies, if every single morning at 11:30, he’s been coming on reporting the breathtaking numbers of the dead in New York?
Your not a Trump fan? You sound like him with the made up name calling! Your boy Cumeo, really?
And those pictures all over the news already were from a drone! Good chance from this photojournalists drone, so amen brother Lol!
Heidi you are an idiot.
Trump started this? Remember China is responsible for Co-19 virus invading our homeland. Cumeo is responsible for his citzens & where he deposits human remains. It sickens me. Sad…no oe needs to be left like trash
Actually, it’s you who are responsible for the virus invading your homeland. Everyone was telling you to take it seriously. You didn’t. Now let’s blame China for the US laughing at the incapable Iranian regime which couldn’t prevent the death of 3000 people, and pointing at them because of the mass grave burials.
Let’s call these Trump Trenches.
Well, he was done for violating the drone flying laws in New York. So I don’t see why this is such a big issue. Photojournalism and documentaries recording is not a free ticket to breaking the laws.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;” – the constitution
Kevin Johnson yet every law I can think of will do exactly that. Let’s stay reasonable.
Yeah … You don’t want to be reported about something? Just come up with a law, which makes reporting about it illegal. And everything is OK, right?
Yeah the sheeple blindly follow all the rules.
I see nothing wrong with him taking the photos to document the burials, as long as everything is done in a respectful manner. It’s a sad time we are going through and we need people like him to take the pictures so that these people without family are remembered
The U.S. Constitution is the
Supreme Law of the land. (Supremacy Clause.)
Freedom of the Press (Bill of Rights Amendment right.)
The charges should be thrown out!
National emergency issue.
If the law was broken, if you agree with it or not, the law was still broken.
He must of known the risks if he is that experienced…? So no I don’t feel sorry for him.
So when are the Coronavirus police going after Chris Coumo? They have time to go after a guy with a drone, how about enforcing the rules against The Govenors brother?
Charts/graphs listed death cases on news reports daily, every morgue full to capacity, funeral directors called in from other states, crematoriums running 24/7, images of bodies being held in refrigerator “trailers”(actual pic of body bags stacked 3 high and no one complained about that!), 17 bodies found in nursing home morgue that only holds 4, no complaints there. STEINMETZ FLEW A DRONE OVER HART ISLAND, FOR THAT, I AM GREATFUL! I shared his image so we could all say a prayer for the lives lost and also to “Wake Up” certain family members to the reality of the seriousness of the “stay at home” order. Thank You to the inmate who left a review on Hart Island website, your review on how burials are done there gave our family peace of mind and greater respect! Thank You to Steinmetz for sharing your images, it was a true wake up call to some. Every state has a “potters field” for the unclaimed. Its ok to see body bags but not pine boxes?? My vote is pine box=R.I.P.
I support the photographer. Laws are selectively enforced by governments all around the world to protect themselves. This is legitimate news that must be preserved. It’s a moment in history that must be documented. I’ve shot in the third world and governments will just make up a rule to shut down protest or prevent documentation of their evil. It’s unbelievably cowardly to read comments say “what he did was illegal”. So what? Good for him. Laws must be nullified sometimes for the betterment of society. When police are photographed doing illegal activities they prosecute the photographer with wiretapping. When whistleblowers leak information about illegal military strikes they are charged with espionage. Grow a spine, stand up for what’s right. Mass graves in the USA is historical news.
The law he violated wasn’t a made up law. He’s an experienced journalist who should know better where and when he can fly a drone. That he chose to fly it at the specific time and place is a judgment call on his part but don’t blame the police for throwing the book at him. Laws regulating drone operation were enacted in response to the boom in operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and all the yahoos operating them without regard for the safety and privacy of others. If he was truly being professional, he should have applied for a permit because everyone knows New York is a densely populated city and every drone operator knows that it is practically one big No Fly Zone.
i wonder why they aren’t busting this yahoo who has dozen+ flyovers over populated nyc before and during the pandemic. hmmm…
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAGthy9XLmgrg1oOOmoygpA
All kinds of things are ILLEGAL IN NYC, like carrying a gun W/O license, hard to get: unless…..well you know the rest. Please contribute to the candidate of your choice(make sure that one wins).
There are a lot of pigeons in NYC. Start putting cameras on them instead of using drones. I’d never get a drone. Not worth the hassle of registering a drone with the FAA. Pigeons don’t need to be registered with the FAA.