Bay Area man accused of flying drone over 49ers game

SANTA CLARA – A 27-year-old San Francisco man is accused of flying a drone during an NFL game last November in Santa Clara, violating a temporary flight restriction put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration, federal authorities said.

A criminal complaint filed Monday alleges that Junwei Guo flew the drone over Levi’s Stadium on Nov. 9, 2025, when the San Francisco 49ers played the Los Angeles Rams.

The temporary flight restriction, or TFR, bars all aircraft, including drones, from operating within a three-mile nautical radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people during, among other events, regular or post-season NFL games.

Guo flew the drone as high as 2,300 feet above ground level, raising concerns for public safety and potentially disrupting air traffic control in the area, according to the complaint.

The complaint also alleges that Guo did not register the drone with the FAA, obtain a remote pilot’s certificate, receive authorization to fly the drone in national defense airspace, or comply with the requirements of the recreational use exception.

Guo is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in San Jose on Feb. 27.

If convicted of violating the TFR, Guo faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the charges ahead of Super Bowl LX, where the FAA, in coordination with the FBI, has established a “no drone zone” above Levi’s Stadium on Sunday. Additional drone restrictions are in place this week surrounding the Santa Clara stadium as well as in downtown San Francisco, where several pre-game festivities are being held, federal authorities said.