NYC Fire and Police Use Drones to Assess Structural Damage at Midtown High-Rise
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reported Wednesday morning that there have been no structural shifts to a Manhattan high-rise since damage to the building was uncovered Tuesday, leading city officials to fear a possible collapse. As part of the effort to assess the damage, the city's Fire Department (FDNY) deployed small drones before sending in people. Mamdani in a news conference on Tuesday said that "as we await the arrival of materials that will stabilize the building, [New York City Department of Buildings] engineers have been investigating with FDNY drones." Some New Yorkers captured the uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) on video. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the Department of Buildings was investigating the scene of a structurally unstable building in Midtown using FDNY drones. A viewer spotted this drone flying in the vicinity of the building Tuesday afternoon. : @themarccuddy pic.twitter.com/Mt5PkFS5eN — Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 7, 2026 Department of Buildings commissioner Ahmed Tigani said during the news conference that personnel were monitoring the building's "compromise point" and that the FDNY drones were "integral to watching and seeing how that movement happens." FDNY in a social media post said the aircraft "provided technical information and visuals for partner agencies as assessments are conducted." The drone the FDNY has been using to keep an eye on the building from above. pic.twitter.com/hGFmJiKDbA — Henry Rosoff (@HenryRosoff) July 7, 2026 The New York Times reported that overnight the New York City Police Department's (NYPD) Technical Assistance Response Unit flew another drone around the building. It captured two workers in hard hats inspecting the building's 20th and 21st floors, where support beams reportedly buckled. Since launching in 2018 , the NYPD's drone unit has grown immensely. Per the department's uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) operations reports , it made just 23 deployments in the fourth quarter of 2019. In the first quarter of 2026, that figure was more than 2,500, which was actually a decline of nearly 300 operations versus the previous quarter. Per a 2024 news release , the NYPD uses drones to search collapsed structures and recreate interior floor plans with 360-degree views. Early that year, the department deployed UAVs to inspect bridges and buildings following a 4.8 magnitude earthquake. The agency cites several advantages of the program, including quicker deployment, improved situational awareness and safety for officers, and a lower cost of operation compared to helicopters. The drones' night vision, thermal imaging, and high-resolution image collection capabilities can assist search and rescue efforts and other investigations, it said. How New York City Uses Drones The New York Post this year reported that the FDNY's Robotics Unit, which comprises 12 pilots operating about 50 drones and quadruped robotic dogs, is now 11 years old. Per the report, officials find the UAVs useful for their thermal imaging capabilities—including for assessing structural weaknesses in buildings. "We still have a firefighter going up who's responsible for, you know, seeing what's going on on the roof," Captain Michael Leo, who heads the Robotics Unit, told the Post . "But now we're also 200 feet above the fire, viewing the entire roof, and we have a thermal imaging of what's happening at the roof skin." The NYPD's Technical Assistance Response Unit introduced DJI quadcopter drones in 2018 and is one of more than 1,000 police departments nationwide with a drone program. Its initial acquisition included 11 Mavic Pros, two M210 RTKs, and one Inspire 1. Early deployments focused on activities such as search and rescue, crime scene documentation, and traffic and pedestrian monitoring for large events. But their use is banned for routine patrols, traffic enforcement, or searches without a warrant. They also cannot be used as or equipped with a weapon. The department's fleet expanded in late 2024 with the launch of New York City's drone as first responder (DFR) program under former mayor Eric Adams. The city deployed two drones apiece to five precincts, bringing the NYPD's fleet to over 100 aircraft, and has continued the program under Mamdani. The DFR program was made possible after the department obtained FAA Part 107 authorization for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations without a visual observer. That approval opened up "shielded operations" up to 100 feet agl or within 50 feet of structures, paving the way for missions such as building inspections. Per the NYPD's first-quarter 2026 UAS operations report, more than 2,000 of its 2,595 deployments in the quarter were for DFR-related operations. Another 225 fell under "public safety, emergency, or other situation with the approval of the Chief of Department." New York is also one of the first U.S. cities to create a joint Drone Operations Committee , responsible for coordinating UAS efforts between the NYPD, FDNY, and other agencies. In 2024, the departments collaborated to monitor the city's beaches for sharks. Additionally, FAA-authorized NYPD officers use drones to respond to calls involving missing people, alerts from the city's ShotSpotter gunshot detection system, and other crimes in progress. Nationally, DFR and other law enforcement programs have exploded in recent years, which has raised scrutiny of their activities. Some residents of Washington, D.C., for instance, criticized the Metropolitan Police Department's (MPD) introduction of drones in 2025. Advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have chimed in on the issue, echoing the concerns of residents who fear undisclosed surveillance. The ACLU has called for greater oversight of "eye-in-the-sky" DFR programs, in particular.