Federal officials extend New Jersey drone ban to parts of New York

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/20/federal-ban-drones-new-jersey-new-york

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Move is in response to continuing reports of mysterious drone flights and speculations into their origins

Federal aviation authorities have extended a month-long drone ban over New Jersey to parts of New York state as mysterious overflights continue to roil the population despite official efforts to tamp down wild speculation about their origins.

A new temporary ban covers parts of Brooklyn, Queens and two communities on Long Island. New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, said the overflight ban included “some of New York’s critical infrastructure sites”.

In a post on X, CNN identified the 30 new areas affected by the temporary drone flight restrictions as being over electric power stations and infrastructure.

“This action is purely precautionary,” Hochul said. “There are no threats to these sites.”

Both the New York and New Jersey bans represent the first broad prohibition of their kind, prompting lawmakers in Connecticut to demand a similar drone ban. “What about Connecticut?” they asked in a written statement. “What about critical Connecticut infrastructure?”

The New Jersey ban issued on Wednesday cited “special security reasons” for restricting drone flights in 22 New Jersey communities, including three of the state’s largest cities: Camden, Elizabeth and Jersey City.

The operator of a nuclear power plant at Lower Alloways Creek in New Jersey later said it had asked the Federal Aviation Authority ( FAA) to impose the flight restrictions near its facilities.

New Jersey congressman Jeff Van Drew, who has previously mused that the drones could be Iranian in origin, said the nuclear plant’s operators had become concerned by reports of two drones near the facility’s perimeter.

Under the bans, only drone pilots authorized to operate for national defense, law enforcement or disaster response purposes are permitted to fly in the restricted areas.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security said: “There is no public safety threat relating to the reported drone sightings.” The government has said most sightings appear to be of either airplanes or helicopters.

Drone pilots who fail to adhere to no-fly rules could face having the drones intercepted and themselves being questioned or detained by federal officials, FAA policies state.

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The bans come as theories about the region’s night-time aerial displays continue to proliferate, among them that they are government-operated drones sniffing out missing radioactive material or that they are dropping drugs and contraband into New Jersey penitentiaries.

But some residents of New Jersey maintain these are not simply hobbyist drones because they are too large and stay airborne for longer than battery-powered toys and maneuver with greater agility and speed.

But many alarmed – or bemused – observers no doubt hope that they will still turn out to be alien UFOs. But that idea got shot down in humorous style by Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary.

Buttigieg told the radio host Charlamagne tha God this week: “I mean no disrespect to New Jersey when I say that I think it’s very unlikely that an alien invasion would begin in New Jersey. I love New Jersey. I’m just saying I don’t think that’s the main point of entry.”