Two New York men face felony charges after authorities said they flew a drone within 800 feet of a New York Police Department helicopter. The helicopter pilot spotted the small, unmanned aircraft near the George Washington Bridge early Monday, police said.

The drone suddenly ascended from 200 feet to 2,000 feet and continued to circle the bridge, police said, forcing the helicopter to change course to avoid the drone.

The pilot watched the aircraft land on a parked vehicle and called the 34th Precinct.

Responding officers confiscated two remote-controlled drones, one of which had a camera and an SD memory card, police said.

Wilkins Mendoza, 34, and Remy Castro, 23, both of Manhattan, were arrested. Mendoza and Castro spent Monday night in jail.

They were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday on charges of reckless endangerment in the first degree, a felony that can carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison.

They were released on their own recognizance.

According to the criminal complaint, the drone was flying in an area restricted to NYPD aircraft and, if the drone had hit a helicopter blade, "it could have damaged the flight mechanism of the helicopter, thereby preventing it from continuing its flight."

Defense attorney Michael Kushner said the charges seemed unreasonable.