New Jersey

Photographer Can't Get Drone Stuck on Top of Water Tower

A local photographer is trying to get his drone back after the device got stuck at the top of an abandoned water tower in Cape May County, New Jersey.

Michael Zuccato, a South Jersey photographer, was conducting flyovers of the Cape May Light House with his $1300 camera-equipped drone. His device vanished in flight over a week ago however.

“It disappeared,” Zuccato said. “Visually I could not see it. “

Zuccato figured out where it was Sunday when a different drone, owned by Matt Dykhouse, spotted it stuck 120 feet up on top of an abandoned water tower near Sunset Beach in Lower Township, New Jersey.

Dykhouse tried to grab Zuccato’s drone with a make-shift hook but wasn’t able to snag it.

“The wind was fighting us every inch of the way,” Dykhouse said. “So it’s a bad season for it but we certainly tried.”

The growing popularity of drones has led to several safety concerns, mainly the potential for collisions with planes and devices crashing onto people.

“I didn’t fly in an area where there were people or it could cause harm to somebody,” Zuccato said. “I’m sure there’s going to be concern in the future about these things getting out of hand.”

Another drone recovery effort is planned for this weekend. This time Zuccato and his friends will try to use a flying fishing rod to grab it. 

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