The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has responded to recent drone sightings by imposing bans in several parts of New Jersey, threatening they could resort to lethal force to stop drones that pose imminent threats.
On Wednesday, the FAA imposed Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) on several New Jersey towns where residents have for weeks reported spotting unmanned aircraft unlike anything witnessed before.
BREAKING — FAA Bans Drones in Parts of New Jersey Until January 17th Due to ‘Special Security Reasons’
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) December 19, 2024
“Several areas … have been deemed national defense airspace … The agency also warns that the U.S. Government may use ‘deadly force’ if any drones pose an imminent threat.” pic.twitter.com/9ukU4wX2Fh
“At the request of federal security partners, the FAA published 22 Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) prohibiting drone flights over critical New Jersey infrastructure,” the agency said in a statement.
“The FAA says pilots who violate the airspace may be ‘intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement,'” reports WPVI, adding, “The agency ominously warns that the U.S. government may use deadly force against any drones if they pose an imminent threat.”
Among the FAA’s 22 TFR locations is Bedminster, home to one of President-elect Donald Trump’s golf courses.
The flight restrictions follow persistent rumors the drones being sighted could be radiation-sniffing devices operated by the US military.
The FAA’s TFRs also come as the agency, alongside the DHS, FBI and DoD, issued a joint statement rejecting public speculation regarding the drones, claiming investigations have found they are “lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”
“We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”
