Quebec City police make arrest in fireworks-launching drone case

A man was arrested Friday in Quebec City after a two-week investigation into incidents involving fireworks launched from a drone in the Neufchatel area of the provincial capital.

Quebec City police said in a statement that a 51-year-old man was arrested around 1 a.m. in a residence in the Charlesbourg borough on arson and mischief charges.

"Over the past two weeks, police officers from the SPVQ and firefighters from the Quebec City Fire department (SPCIQ) intervened on several occasions concerning fireworks launched from a drone in the Neufchatel sector. An investigation, led by the SPVQ's General Crimes Unit, was to identify and locate the operator of the drone. Several police resources have been mobilized," the release said.

#ARRESTATION | Une enquête, menée par le Module des crimes généraux du SPVQ concernant des feux d’artifice lancés à partir d’un drone dans le secteur de Neufchâtel a permis l’arrestation d’un homme de 51 ans vers 1 h ce matin. Pour plus de détails: https://t.co/PGtfI6N9bq pic.twitter.com/8YI7ZL0PJH

— Service de police de la Ville de Québec (@SPVQ_police) April 14, 2023

The 51-year-old man is being held in custody pending his appearance in court on Friday.

Any other information related to this case can be communicated to the police in a confidential manner by calling (418) 641-AGIR (2447) or 1 888 641-AGIR for people outside Quebec City.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 14, 2023.