The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has imposed temporary restrictions on drone flights over certain areas of New Jersey, according to a report published on the agency’s website. The drone ban is likely related to the recent outbreak of mass hysteria over alleged “drone sightings,” although the agency did not explicitly state this. The FAA told the New York Times that the ban was imposed at the request of “federal security partners,” without elaborating.
The drone ban applies to 22 different communities in New Jersey and expires on January 17, 2025. It is not immediately clear why this date was chosen. On Thursday morning, the FAA did not respond to Gizmodo’s questions about the specific timing of the flight restrictions and their connection to the drone sightings in an email and referred us to the Department of Homeland Security.
“We continue to believe that there is no threat to public safety related to the drones identified,” a DHS spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not answer our specific questions on the record.
“In coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and our critical infrastructure partners who have requested temporary flight restrictions over their facilities, out of an abundance of caution, the FAA has implemented temporary flight restrictions over certain critical infrastructure facilities in New Jersey,” the spokesperson wrote.
According to NBC News, New Jersey residents began reporting strange “drones” in the sky around November 18, and since then, with the exception of a notable pause over Thanksgiving, they have been spotted daily. The so-called drones have led more and more people to post videos taken by what they believe to be unmanned aerial vehicles. And while some of these videos are hard to explain, the vast majority look like regular commercial airplanes.
While it’s not unusual for internet geeks to get worked up over the smallest of things, this drone panic has spread to unexpected areas. Several elected leaders called on the federal government to take action, including President-elect Donald Trump, who simultaneously claimed the government was trying to hide something and said they should be shot down.
But the concern was bipartisan. Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, called for more action and played up the hype.
“Some of the drones are small. Some of them are flying erratically,” Schumer said on Sunday, according to NBC News. “Multiple drones flying together can confuse a traditional radar system, and that’s why, again, this new technology can really give us the answers we need.”
People also point lasers at commercial flights, an incredibly dangerous activity that can illuminate the inside of the cockpit and blind pilots. Laser strikes were already a serious problem, but during the current drone hysteria, they have become so common that the FAA was forced to issue a statement warning the public not to do so. Pointing a laser at airplanes is a federal crime that can lead to imprisonment and huge fines.
Some of the most unbelievable theories about the drones come from elected leaders, including claims by a Republican congressman that they are actually being deployed from an Iranian ship off the east coast of the United States.
“Know that Iran has entered into a deal with China to purchase drones, base ships and technology to move forward,” Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey said on Fox News on December 11. “The sources I have are good. They cannot reveal who they are because they speak to me in confidence. These drones must be shot down.”
There is no evidence that Iran has deployed a shipboard drone base, despite the fact that Van Drew has access to real power and should know about it. Van Drew is a member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation Subcommittee. But nothing will surprise us now when it comes to strange sightings. With Trump coming back to power in a month, things will get even stranger in the coming months and years, with or without drones.
