FAA drone ban hits New Jersey, but will it put an end to UAP hysteria?
The FAA bans all drone flights in the Garden State, finally acknowledging a month-long spate of UAP sightings over New Jersey and surrounding states. But is it enough to convince the public there is no threat to national security?
Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images
The FAA bans all drone flights in the Garden State, finally acknowledging a month-long spate of UAP sightings over New Jersey and surrounding states. But is it enough to convince the public there is no threat to national security?
UPDATE: Late Thursday, the FAA added airspace restrictions over Manhattan, Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, Queens, and Garden City, Long Island, New York. Cybernews expects more to follow over the next few days.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enacted the security restrictions across 23 New Jersey municipalities starting on Wednesday, with the latest drone bans happening Thursday in the towns of Bedminster and Evesham, all posted on the agency's Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) list.
Other more populated locales include Jersey City, Hamilton, Elizabeth, Edison, and Clifton, with other New Jersey townships being known to house sensitive locations such as military bases, and critical infrastructures.
All flight bans are to last roughly 30 days, with the Bedminster ban running the longest at 47 days, or until January 31st – due to President-elect Donald Trump’s New Jersey estate being located in the wealthy town.
To note, the airspace restrictions in Bedminster were renewed from an earlier ban on December 4th, which expires on Friday, December 20th.
Additionally, a ban on drone flights over the Picatinny Arsenal was issued by the FAA on November 25th, set to expire on December 26th, with the assumption it will also be renewed closer to its expiration date.
According to the “Special Security” NOTAMs – an FAA notification to pilots about any airspace, airport, or operational changes – the affected areas cover “from the surface up to and including 400 feet at from ground level (AGL), with the exception of Bedminster with a restriction of 1000 ft. AGL and Picatinny Arsenal at 2000 ft. AGL.
Drone operators who do not comply with the airspace restrictions are being warned that if the unmanned aircraft is deemed to “pose a credible safety or security threat to protected personnel, facilities, or assets” US government defense agencies may take action.
Those actions including the “interference, disruption, damaging, or destruction” of the aircraft – essentially, a nicer way of threatening to shoot the drone right out of the sky.
Feds deny any 'anomalous' activity
The move comes on the heels of a joint statement released on Tuesday by the Departments of Homeland Security (DoH) and Defense (DoJ), the FBI, and the FAA.
“FBI has received tips of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks with approximately 100 leads generated, and the federal government is supporting state and local officials in investigating these reports,” it said.
Government investigations taking place in areas of sighting are said to include detection technology and trained visual observers.
The statement further addressed the concerns of unsettled residents, who have been clamoring for answers since the mystery drone sighting began on November 18th.
“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 statement read.
The agencies also stated that they have “not identified anything anomalous” and that presently there is no “national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”
Below is just one of the hundreds of clips posted on social media of the mystery objects. New sightings have also been now reported in six states, including over the New York City borough of Staten Island, Fairfield, Connecticut, and Stoneham, Massachusetts.
People started calling the cops on these Lights, UFO, UAP, Drones in New Jersey
undefined Nine (@ninewontmiss) December 14, 2024
Cops driving by like undefined WHAT DO I DO!?!undefined🤷🏻♂️
Why are they descending into the ocean?🤔#NewJerseyUFO #UFOSightings #NewJersey #ufosighting #Aliens #uap #UAPSightings #drones #dronesightings #dronesnj pic.twitter.com/6vo5trtgHr
Not so fast says NJ Congressman
New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew, a vocal advocate for government intervention since the sightings began, put out a press release on Wednesday slamming the White House for “dismissing the drone situation.”
US National Security Adviser John Kirby, earlier in the week, took to Fox News to speak about the issue, calling the drones “normal, legal, lawful aircraft activity.”
In his statement, Rep. Van Drew called the government’s actions, including Kirby's statements, as “either sheer incompetence, willful ignorance, or a cover-up" and “disrespectful to the American people.”
"People are reporting drones, some the size of SUVs, and instead of addressing those legitimate concerns, the administration is brushing them off and treating Americans like they are delusional. It is unacceptable,” the Republican three-term Congressman said.
To add to the confusion, on Monday two men were arrested for flying drones near Boston's Logan International Airport, also triggering the temporary shut down of the Wright Patterson Air Force base in Ohio.
Vowing to “keep pushing and attempt to get real answers for the American public," it was Van Drew who first publicly put forth a theory that the drones were coming from an “Iranian mothership” parked off the coast of New Jersey in the Atlantic Ocean.
One might say the declaration only added to the firestorm of conspiracies floating around social media, although the Pentagon has since refuted that theory.
The temporary flight restrictions will not apply to unmanned aircraft used for government operations, as well as commercial uses or other special permissions, to be granted by the FAA.