The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday temporarily banned unmanned drones from flying over parts of New Jersey without special permission from the government, which will remain in effect through January 17.
Mysterious uncrewed drone sightings have been a frequent theme in New Jersey over the past month, and federal agencies have not been able to explain some of the reports. But the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Pentagon have repeatedly assured Americans that the drones do not pose a threat to American safety.
The FAA said that the drone restrictions began on Wednesday, and include the areas of Bridgewater, Cedar Grove, North Brunswick, Camden, Gloucester City, Westampton, Edison, Sewaren, Jersey City, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Winslow, Burlington, and Kearny, among others.
"At the request of federal security partners, the FAA published 22 Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) prohibiting drone flights over critical New Jersey infrastructure," the FAA said in a statement reported by ABC News.
The DHS said the restrictions were ordered out of an abundance of caution and were not related to a specific threat.
"We continue to assess there is no public safety threat relating to the reported drone sightings," the department said in a statement. "In coordination with the FAA and our critical infrastructure partners who requested temporary flight restrictions over their facilities, out of an abundance of caution, the FAA has issued temporary flight restrictions over some critical infrastructure facilities in New Jersey."
The temporary flight restrictions that are already in place for Bedminster and Picatinny Arsenal will remain.
The government said it may use "deadly force" on the drones if operators violate the ban and pose an "imminent security threat." Operators who do violate the order could also be "intercepted, detained, and interviewed by the law enforcement/security personnel," and face civil penalties or even have their licenses revoked or suspended.
Drones have also been spotted over U.S. military sites in the United Kingdom last month, near a U.S. base in Langley, Virginia, and in New York.
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