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’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
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
New Jersey brewery owner says she’s seeing ‘weird’ stuff
A New Jersey brewery owner says she knows people think she’s wrong about seeing the drones over her family’s home.
“It sucks that there’s a lot of people out there now that are saying, ‘You guys are crazy,’ ” Chrissy Doremus, of Morris County, told The Washington Post. “At this point, we know what planes look like. We know what helicopters are. And we’re seeing weird [stuff] out here.”
NJ military base 'target of contraband-smuggling drones’
A New Jersey military base says it has been targeted by contraband-smuggling drones and has put countermeasures in places to thwart incursions.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst said that incidents relate to efforts to drop prohibited items into FCI Fort Dix federal prison, which is housed on the facility.
“This year, there have been multiple drone detections, involving attempts to smuggle contraband into the federal correctional institution hosted on our base,” a base spokesperson toldThe War Zone.
Unmanned aircraft systems have previously smuggled cellphones, drugs and tobacco, and weight loss supplements amongst other items, according to the report.
‘Super-scary’ drone sightings unsettle New Jersey resident
A New Jersey woman says recent drone sightings have been scary to see nearly every night.
“Every day, I am seeing more and more,” Carla Sousa, 36, told The Washington Post. “All different shapes and sizes. Some are silent, and some sound like helicopters. I saw one that looked like an aircraft.”
“It’s been super-scary,” she added. “My anxiety has been at an all-time high.”
Sen. Time Kaine says he’s ‘very frustrated’ by lack of answers about 2023 drone incursions
Virginia Democratic Sen. Time Kaine says he is “very frustrated” with “so many unanswered questions” that remain about the drones that flew near a Virginia military installation for more than two weeks in December 2023.
“We’re kind of at the year anniversary of these incursions at Langley. And I’m very frustrated with the fact that there’s still so many unanswered questions,” Kaine told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
New York official calls out federal government on drone response
“We don’t have the right tech, our internal processes are a mess, and I’m not even sure the right departments are in charge,” Rep. Pat Ryan said in a release. “Let’s take the time now to get this right.”
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.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments