The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions banning drone flights over parts of New Jersey after an influx of sightings in recent weeks.
The notice, which expires on January 17, 2025, states that drone operations in support of national defense, homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue missions, or disaster response missions are not included in the restrictions.
Commercial drone operations are permitted with a valid statement of work, but there must be an approved government airspace waiver and all applicable FAA regulations must be followed.
A map showing drone density in Monmouth County, New Jersey. (Courtesy of Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office)
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the White House, and more broadly the US government appears unconcerned by the increased sightings in New Jersey and other northeastern states.
“Look, I’m the Speaker of the House of Representatives. I have the exact same frustrations as you and all of us. We don’t have the answers. The government isn’t giving them,” Johnson said in a Fox News appearance. .
The speaker said he convened a meeting last week with officials from the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, and that “the answers are not forthcoming.”
A social media user said she filmed several drones hovering over Fairfield, Connecticut on Thursday, December 12. (Lucy Biggers)
DRONES SPOTTED IN THE NORTHEAST LIKELY FROM ‘WITHIN THE US’, MILITARY EXPERT SAYS
On Saturday, Biden administration officials organized a call to address concerns surrounding the recent drone sightings.
Representatives from the FBI, FAA, National Security Council, DHS and DoD attended the call.
An FBI official said the bureau has received 5,000 tips since the first mysterious drone was spotted over New Jersey in November, but of those 5,000 tips, fewer than 100 warranted further investigation.
Photos taken in the Bay Shore section of Toms River of what appear to be large drones hovering in the high-altitude area of New Jersey on Sunday, December 8, 2024. The drones appeared to be well above the 400-foot height that FAA regulations allow. (Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)
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The FBI official added that despite the recent uptick, researchers have found no evidence of large-scale unmanned drone activity.
“We are doing our best to find the origin of those specific drone activities,” the official said. “But I think there is a slight overreaction.”
Danielle Wallace and Audrey Conklin of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
