Drones latest: New York and New Jersey airspaces restricted as officials demand Congress to pass legislation
The FAA has granted temporary flight restrictions over some of New York’s critical infrastructure sites, in a measure officials call ‘purely precautionary’
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Your support makes all the difference.New York and New Jersey airspace has been temporarily closed to drones, as authorities have worked to slow the number of sightings across the eastern US.
However, the measures were “purely precautionary,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul assured.
“I’ve spoken with Secretary Mayorkas multiple times and was just informed that he has coordinated with federal partners and the FAA plans to grant temporary flight restrictions over some of New York’s critical infrastructure sites — this action is purely precautionary; there [is] no threat to these sites,” she said.
Dozens of areas were affected by the restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Drones have also been spotted in Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, California and Florida.
Lawmakers have taken to social media to voice their concerns about what they said was a lack of communication from the federal government.
House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested this week that the Biden administration had brushed off the public’s concerns.
“This is why we need Donald Trump back in the White House, to bring a steady hand to the wheel and a strong commander-in-chief,” he told Fox and Friends.
A bill that would allow law enforcement to track drones was blocked.
Flight restrictions go in place across New Jersey for ‘security’ reasons as drones continue to fill the sky
‘It’s all bullsh**’: Moderator of drone subreddit quits over deluge of conspiracy theories about New Jersey sightings
How to tell the difference between a drone, a plane and a UFO- Mapped: All the locations of mass drone sightings in the last week
NJ GOP Congressman Jeff Van Drew claims ‘something is wrong’ with current drone response
New Jersey Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew reacted to the current drone situation across the US on the Fox Across America radio show.
“Something is wrong here. And I’ll leave you with this. Either it is gross stupidity and ineptitude by the government, this administration, or a cover-up or both,” he claimed.
Delaware police urge public to report suspicious drone activity
The Delaware State Police called on residents Friday to report any suspicious drone activity in the area.
“The Delaware State Police is aware of recent sightings of potential drone activity throughout the state. The operation of a drone is a legal activity. If there is an occasion that you find a drone in a suspicious area or the appearance of suspicious activity, the Delaware State Police is asking that these events be reported to our Delaware Anti-Terrorism Tipline at 1-800-FORCE-1-2,” it said. “Reporting these events in this manner will allow experts to evaluate the details of the event for proper action.”
New Jersey governor stresses there’s no public safety threat from drones
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy stressed Thursday that there is no public safety threat from drones.
“There is no public threat here. Period. I could say that unequivocally,” Murphy told News 12. “I have a very, very, very high degree of confidence.”
New NJ drone sighting analysis finds majority of videos appear to capture planes, helicopters
A new analysis of possible drone sightings over New Jersey has found that the majority of videos actually appeared to show planes or helicopters.
“None of the videos analyzed by The Times conclusively showed drones, though in some cases that remains a plausible explanation,” said The New York Times.
New York governor says FAA action is ‘purely precautionary'
“Since mid-November, New York has been carefully monitoring reports of drone activity and we have been communicating closely with our federal partners. I’ve spoken with Secretary Mayorkas multiple times and was just informed that he has coordinated with federal partners and the FAA plans to grant temporary flight restrictions over some of New York’s critical infrastructure sites — this action is purely precautionary; there [is] no threat to these sites,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
“This is in addition to the state-of-the-art drone detection system delivered to us by the Biden-Harris Administration earlier this week. While we have not detected any public safety or national security threats, we will continue aggressively monitoring the situation as we call on Congress to pass legislation to give states and local law enforcement the authority and resources they need to manage this evolving technology. Public safety is my top priority and I will stop at nothing to keep my constituents safe.”
FAA temporarily bans drone flights over parts of New York
The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily banned drone flights over parts of New York.
Some affected areas include Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and Yonkers.
NFL calls on Congress to address ongoing ‘threat’ of drones at games
Bewildered New Jersey natives and local officials aren’t the only ones worried about drones; the NFL, Major League Baseball and NASCAR are now saying they don’t want any “unauthorized” drones over their events.
The sports giants are demanding swift legislative action to give them the teeth to stop the drones flying over – and potentially capturing video and photos – of their events.
One such bill, the Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act, was blocked by the Senate earlier this year.
That legislation would have provided state and local officials with the authority to intercept drones if they violated the law, FOX 5 DC reports.
“The time for us to act on this is now,” Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said in a statement.
“We don’t want to wait until something bad happens.”
Drone sightings at NFL games has reportedly spiked from 12 in 2017 to more than 2,800 in 2023.
Lanier said the trend was alarming, and noted that even though the NFL has technology that can alert officials to the presence of the drones, it has no legal authority to do anything about the devices.
Graig Graziosi has more.
NFL calls on Congress to address ongoing ‘threat’ of drones at games
‘The time for us to act on this is now,’ the NFL’s cheif security office said. ‘We don’t want to wait until something bad happens’
‘It’s all bullsh**’: Moderator of drone subreddit quits over deluge of conspiracy theories about New Jersey sightings
‘It’s all bullsh**’: Mod of drone subreddit quits over deluge of New Jersey sightings
In a lengthy resignation message titled ‘Actually, you know what, screw it. I’m out,’ the Reddit moderator of a drones forum lamented the flood of conspiracy theories about the New Jersey sightings
Here’s where drones are temporarily banned
Temporary flying restriction areas are in parts within the city of Camden, according to WPVI.
They’re also in Gloucester City, Winslow Township, Evesham, Hancock’s Bridge in Lower Alloways Township in Salem County, Westampton, Burlington and Hamilton in Mercer County. Flying drones are also banned in Bridgewater, Cedar Grove, North Brunswick, Metuchen, Westampton, South Brunswick, Edison, Branchburg, Sewaren, Jersey City, Harrison, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Clifton and Kearny.
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