Drones latest: New Jersey airspace closes to drones as officials try to slow number of sightings
New Jersey residents should avoid shooting down or shining lasers at suspect unmanned aircraft systems after complaints from pilots, the FBI warns
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Your support makes all the difference.New Jersey’s airspace has been temporarily closed to drones for “special security reasons,” as authorities have worked to slow the number of sightings across the eastern US.
Dozens of areas were affected by the restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Many were located near local airports, including Teterboro and Trenton-Robbinsville, News 12 New Jersey reported.
The bans are in addition to others that went into effect after the first drone sighting in November, and come amid efforts to quell fears regarding their presence.
Drones have also been spotted in Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, California and Florida.
Lawmakers took to the news and social media to voice their concerns and what they said was a lack of communication from the federal government.
House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested on Wednesday that the Biden administration had brushed off concerns. Democrats have had similar reactions.
“This is why we need Donald J. Trump back in the White House, to bring a steady hand to the wheel and a strong commander-in-chief. He would have already had the answers,” he told Fox and Friends.
A bill that would allow law enforcement agencies to track aerial drones was blocked Wednesday night.
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Mystery drones lead to increased holiday sales in Ohio
An Ohio business says it has seen a surge in customers looking for drones before the Chrstimas holiday.
“Drones are popular. We do have a lot of people that are inquiring, especially with it being in the news now,” Randy Kastl, president of the Hobby Shop, told WDTN. “It’s one of those things where they may have forgotten about it, and now it’s kind of brought it back to the forefront.”
Will drones affect holiday travel? This expert says says
Could drones affect travel this holiday season?
“The airports can’t do anything else but shut down traffic even if there is just a reported sighting. Out of precautions for safety [airports] have to, and that’s the issue is [drone operators] can’t be tracked easily and can quickly shut down traffic and cause mass disruptions,” Brett Velicovich, the CEO of Expert Drones, told Fox News Digital via email.
Schumer says tri-state residents aren’t getting ‘good enough answers’ on drones
“The people in New York and New Jersey have a lot of questions, and they’re not getting good enough answers,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday.
“The utter confusion surrounding these drone sightings shows that the feds can’t respond all on their own.”
NFL asks Congress to pay more attention to illegal drones at games
NFL Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier is reportedly petitioning Congress to take more of a vested interest in drones flying over events and crowds of people.
“Over the past several years, an increasing number of drones have flown into restricted airspace during NFL games. With the nation’s attention now focused on drones, we again call on Congress to protect critical infrastructure and mass gathering such as major sporting events,” Lanier said in a press release.
Could drones aid first responders?
A new project from Oklahoma’s Tulsa Fire Department and Oklahoma State University-Tulsa tests a breakthrough application of drones.
“Tulsa Fire successfully responded to and managed a complex first-responder scenario using Airwise technologies remotely without an operator on-site,” the university said Wednesday.
Expert makes it clear: Flying a drone isn’t illegal
“There’s nothing illegal about flying a drone around,” John Michaud, the director of Husson University’s School of Legal Studies, told Maine’s WABI on Wednesday.
“The biggest thing that people have to understand is there is not right of privacy. You are not protected from having an airplane, a drone, or helicopter fly over your property,” he explained. “I think we need to have a better idea of if they are all drones, if they have done something that we can say, ‘No, this is wrong’, and I haven’t seen that yet.”
New Jersey state senator blasts federal response to drone situation
New Jersey state senator Doug Steinhardt said Wednesday that there is no clear leadership from federal agencies on drone sightings across the East Coast.
“And, that’s not trickling down to the state agencies, either,” he told Fox News’ Sandra Smith.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger on mysterious drone sightings: 'There’s much more that we could be doing'
Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger is among lawmakers calling for more action on drone sightings around the US.
“From a legislating standpoint, there’s much more we could be doing to set clear parameters of where drones can go,” she told WUSA.
“I think people should have an expectation that state and federal leadership are working with law enforcement entities at the state and federal level to understand certainly most recent of flurry of drone activity that we have seen,” Spanberger said.
See it: Even more possible drones fly over New Jersey
NJ fire departments receive new guidance on drone response
The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety released a bulletin to fire departments with new safety recommendations for encountering downed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAV’s, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia.
The guidance instructs fire service members to not approach downed or landed drones and to initially evacuate the area by 330 feet in all directions.
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