The incident, which was captured on video and first aired by News 12, showed a Nassau County police helicopter swooping down close to the sand and scattering a large group of teens with a burst of rotor wash and blowing sand. The maneuver raised concerns, as the helicopter appeared to be flying below the 1,000-foot minimum altitude required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over crowded spaces.
"The FAA conducted a thorough investigation and did not find any violations of the regulations," a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement released Tuesday.
Despite the helicopter’s notably low altitude, the FAA did not explain why no violations were issued or what specific exceptions may have applied in this case.
Nassau County officials defended the decision to deploy the helicopter, saying the crowd control action was necessary for public safety.
“I’m impressed with our pilots,” said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. “There was a fight going on between two sides. They dispersed them and they all went home happy and safe.”