Swimming pools at NJ motels and homes turned neon by drone operator Patrick Spina IV, accused of using planes to drop paint packages to terrorize the neighborhood
- A New Jersey man is caught after allegedly using his drone to mischievously paint local pools neon green
- Patrick Spina IV, 45, faces criminal fines of up to $30,000 for terrorizing residents and businesses
New Jersey residents and business owners were terrorized by a local prankster who, according to police, used a drone to turn pool water neon green.
Authorities say they arrested Patrick Spina IV, 45, of Absecon, New Jersey, on Monday in connection with the case.
Residents and businesses in New Jersey’s Absecon and Galloway areas had been reporting the suspicious activity since June 22, when their swimming pools mysteriously began to change color.
The Quality Inn in Galloway Township fell victim to the prankster after their pool was painted dozens of times over the summer.
“I went to my office and I had a meltdown,” owner Sandra Woolstion told me ABC7 about the ongoing joke.
Residents and businesses in New Jersey’s Absecon and Galloway areas had been reporting the suspicious activity since June 22, when their swimming pools mysteriously began to change color
Sandra Woolstion is the owner and general manager of the Quality Inn and she said she had a meltdown because of the repeated prank
The first time the prank happened at the motel was in late June. Woolstion said she thought it was algae that neon colored the pool, while staff found a paint pack at the bottom of the pool but didn’t know what it was.
She had the pool drained and cleaned, costing her thousands of dollars each time.
She estimated she lost $20,000 this summer between cleanings and canceled stays due to the lack of a pool.
But repeatedly she looked out and saw the pool painted from a new package. That left guests, including children, angry that they couldn’t use the pool.
“The girls stand here and say, ‘Oh my God, we want to go swimming.’ Some of them were crying,” Woolstion said.
The Quality Inn was hit again Friday, but this time police worked with the FAA to track the drone to a Comfort Solutions Heating and Cooling over the White Horse Pike. There, authorities arrested the owner, Spina.
Authorities describe the motive as a joke.
The motel wasn’t the only place where the alleged prankster was hit. Police in communities around Atlantic City received calls from pool owners who all had similar complaints.
“We had a resident who was enjoying his pool and saw a drone over the top and the drone dropped something in his pool and it immediately turned green,” Absecon Police Chief James Laughlin told the news channel.
Authorities arrested Patrick Spina IV, 45, in connection with the ongoing prank in the Atlantic City area
Woolstion had the pool drained and cleaned, costing her thousands of dollars each time
The motel wasn’t the only place where the alleged prankster was hit. Police in communities around Atlantic City received calls from pool owners who all had similar complaints
The marine paint Spina used to transform the color of pool water is typically used by search and rescue teams and can be harmful to swimming pools.
The same dye is used to attract the attention of marine rescue services because of the bright neon fluorescent color that colors the water.
Spina was arrested on multiple criminal mischief and harassment charges, ending his summer-long stint of terrorizing residents and businesses in his area.
He faces charges of up to $30,000, including penalties for performing unsafe operations with the drone he used.