Drone Captures Scene at East Harlem Gas Explossion

Cell phone cameras were no match for his high-flying drone.

Brian Wilson captured stunning aerial images Wednesday of the buildings flattened by an explosion on Park Ave. at E. 116th St. — thanks to his camera-equipped whirlybird.

“When the smoke cleared, you could see everything, where the buildings separated, where the walls fell, the debris scattered on the Metro-North tracks across the street,” said Wilson, 45, a business systems expert.

BRIAN WILSON

An aerial view of the builidng explosion and collapse in East Harlem shot by Brian Wilson.

Wilson said he heard about the explosion from his roommate and immediately jumped in a cab with his flying camera and headed to the scene.

“I mostly use it to shoot real estate or sports events,” he said of his DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter. “This was the first time I used it for breaking news.”

MARK LENNIHAN/AP

Brian Wilson launches his drone at the scene of the fatal blast. It flew for about 30 minutes.

He said when he reached the chaotic scene, the smoke was so thick he could barely see.

Cops questioned him about his four-blade, 3-pound gadget, but allowed him to launch.

MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS

The four-blade DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter weighs about three pounds.

Wilson said he sent the drone up 150 to 200 feet and shot for about 30 minutes before his battery ran down.

“At the end, the cops said they’d prefer if I didn’t fly in the area anymore, so I stopped,” he said.

MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS

Eventually the police asked Wilson to land his camera drone, after he captured about a half hour of video.