An O’Fallon, Missouri, police drone helped officers locate three juveniles after a driver reported that an object had struck her windshield while she was traveling beneath the Sonderen Street overpass on Interstate 70. Police later determined that the juveniles had been dropping candy onto westbound traffic.
The department released video of the incident on X on October 29. Police said the event occurred a couple of weeks earlier, after the driver called 911 because she could not identify what had hit her vehicle. Caroline Hecker, an O’Fallon police spokesperson, said the driver reported no damage but was unsure whether the object could have come from the overpass itself.
A rapid launch from a nearby dock
Police dispatched both a drone and an officer. The drone was operating from a nearby dock and was airborne within 30 seconds of the call, while the officer was still responding from another call. Hecker said the department uses the aircraft to reach locations quickly when an officer cannot arrive immediately.
The drone located three children standing on the overpass above traffic. While it remained in the area awaiting the officer, its live video showed one of the children throwing something over the fence. Police subsequently learned that the objects were pieces of candy and believed the behavior had occurred more than once.
“That kind of follow-up is important because we hope that serves as a deterrent,”
Hecker said after officers contacted the children. The three then left the overpass on bicycles. Police said the drone continued relaying their location to the responding officer, who activated the vehicle’s lights and stopped them. The children acknowledged dropping the candy, according to Hecker.
No charges were filed
Police contacted the children’s parents, who picked them up after they spoke with the officer. No charges were filed, and police said no property was damaged. The department framed the incident as a warning about the danger of throwing objects from an overpass, regardless of their size.
- The drone launched from a nearby dock within 30 seconds of the 911 call.
- Live video showed one of the juveniles dropping an object over the overpass fence.
- The drone tracked the children after they left on bicycles and guided an officer to them.
- Police said no charges were filed and no property was damaged.
Hecker said objects thrown into traffic can distract drivers or trigger a panic response. At highway speeds, that reaction can create a serious collision risk. The department’s use of the drone therefore extended beyond documenting the reported incident: it provided an immediate view of the overpass, maintained awareness of the children’s movements and supported the officer’s follow-up before they left the area.
