The Federal Aviation Administration banned drone flights over parts of New Jersey starting on Wednesday through January 17. Drones have been prohibited from flying over 22 communities in the Garden State designated as “national defense airspace,” citing “special security reasons.” The federal government stated that deadly force may be used against drones that pose an imminent threat. “Shit just got real,” to quote Michael Bay classic “Bad Boys II.”
For those who haven’t been keeping up with the pandemonium in New Jersey, swarms of drones are dotting the sky at night. A dozen even pursued a Coast Guard boat just off the shore. The month-long remote-control infestation and its unknown origin are obviously concerning to residents, but things quickly got out of hand. The FBI received over 5,000 tips that only generated 100 leads, according to ABC News:
Earlier this week, authorities in New Jersey this week warned the public against dangerously taking drone matters into their own hands by pointing lasers at manned aircraft or shooting down suspected unmanned aircraft.
There has been an increase in pilots “being hit in the eyes with lasers because people on the ground think they see an Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” the FBI in Newark and New Jersey State Police said Monday.
“We’re also concerned people will take matters into their own hands and fire a weapon at an aircraft,” FBI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson Delgado said in a video message released on Monday. “Not only is this act against the law, but it poses an incredible danger to the pilots and passengers on those aircraft.”
Despite warnings from elected officials, law enforcement, and us here at Jalopnik, New Jersey residents have taken matters into their own hands and started aiming lasers at anything in the sky that appears to be a flying drone. However, planes are being misidentified as drones. The Federal Aviation Administration reported a 269-percent spike in laser strikes on planes over New Jersey this month compared to last year. Pilots reported 59 laser incidents between December 1 and December 16. First, this is still illegal. Second, it’s incredibly dangerous. Pilots could be blinded if a laser hits the cockpit.
Governor Phil Murphy and other officials have stated that the drones don’t pose a public threat, but something has changed. Their apparent increase is likely down to a recent approval for night-time flights. The lights fitted to drones make the presence much more prominent at night. However, people annoyed by the lights are just assuming that anything in the sky is a drone. The response to the drones might have become a danger to the public.
