(NEW YORK) — The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ban on drone operations in dozens of areas of New Jersey and New York until mid-January, unless operators are granted special permission from the government due to “special security reasons.”
Uncrewed aerial drones have been lighting up the sky at night in New Jersey and nearby states for weeks, since about mid-November, leading to concern from residents and speculation online. Some had demanded answers from local and state officials for answers.
“At the request of federal security partners, the FAA published 22 Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) prohibiting drone flights over critical New Jersey infrastructure,” the FAA said in a statement Thursday.
The temporary flight restrictions in New Jersey, which are set to last until Jan. 17, have been implemented beginning Wednesday in the following locations: Hamilton, Bridgewater, Cedar Grove, North Brunswick, Metuchen, Evesham, Camden, Gloucester City, Westampton, South Brunswick, Edison, Branchburg, Sewaren, Jersey City, Harrison, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Winslow, Burlington, Clifton, Hancocks Bridge and Kearny.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the flight restrictions were issued “out of an abundance of caution.”
“We continue to assess there is no public safety threat relating to the reported drone sightings,” the spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. “In coordination with the FAA and our critical infrastructure partners who requested temporary flight restrictions over their facilities, out of an abundance of caution, the FAA has issued temporary flight restrictions over some critical infrastructure facilities in New Jersey.”
Following New Jersey’s lead, on Thursday night New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced federal partners and the FAA will also grant temporary flight restrictions over some of the state’s critical infrastructure sites.
Similarly, Hochul said the action is “purely precautionary” and that “there are no threats to these sites.”
The temporary flight restrictions in New York, which are set to last until Jan. 18, have been implemented in dozens of locations, including near LaGuardia Airport, Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Garden City, Far Rockaway and Ridge.
The restrictions say no uncrewed aircraft systems can operate within a nautical mile of the airspace specified in each Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, including from the ground up to 400 feet. Recreational drones are allowed to operate up to 400 feet, under FAA rules.
The previously issued temporary flight restrictions for Bedminster and Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, remain in place.
The government may use “deadly force” against the drones if they pose an “imminent security threat,” the NOTAM said.
Pilots who fail to abide by those restrictions could be “intercepted, detained, and interviewed by the law enforcement/security personnel.” The FAA said it could also take administrative action, including imposing civil penalties and suspending or revoking the operators’ certificates, as well as pursuing criminal charges.
This ban comes after Sunday’s press briefing where an FAA official said there have “without a doubt” been drones flying over New Jersey, pointing to the fact that nearly a million drones are registered in the U.S.
The FBI has received more than 5,000 tips in the last few weeks about drone sightings in New Jersey and other states, said a multiagency statement, which was released Monday by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the FAA and the Department of Defense.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the joint statement said.
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