I haven't check the airspace in that area, but I'll give my 2 cents on it after thinking about it today.....
Seaports & heliports don't really mean anything to a hobbiest or commercial pilot. Yes we need to be aware of our surroundings, but just because your next to a heliport doesn't mean you can't fly. All metropolitan areas are surrounded by heli ports, I mean there everywhere. If he was in the vicinity of an airport or restricted airspace, the drone would have not lifted off.
It's pretty clear to me from the video that the drone lost connection a decided to go home. If that was the case, I don't really see fault on the operator. Yes we could take necessary actions to prevent this, but this looks like a 100% accident with zero negligence involved. The cops need to give the drone back, and the FAA should have a lil sit down with the gent explaining thier safety concerns.
Look at the bottom line. The pilot was trying to get a shot by flying his drone legally. There was a mishap during the flight which resulted in complete loss of control, and finally a crash.
Then the local news happened and that's when it all went downhill..... Should of heard the comments from my coworkers after they seen this on the news........ The news is keeping the non droners in fear and steering some uneducated pilots wrong too... We all need to quit watching the news! It's easy, I started about 7 years ago and it really changed my life