US authorities have temporarily barred drone flights over dozens of critical infrastructure sites in New Jersey and New York.
A frenzy of concern about drones in New Jersey and surrounding states had prompted a dramatic spike in the number of people in the area pointing lasers at planes flying overhead, which is illegal and could be dangerous, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday.
US agencies have repeatedly said the spike in drone sightings does not pose national security risks and they appear to be mostly aircraft, stars or hobbyist drones.
In recent weeks, pilots flying in New Jersey reported almost 300% more laser incidents than during the same period last year. Shining lasers at aircraft is a federal crime and a safety threat to pilots. — The FAA ✈� (@FAANews) #LoseTheLaser! https://t.co/wkECkNA6pW 📽�warning: strobing lights pic.twitter.com/6FnqVgLjoeDecember 19, 2024
The federal government in recent days has also sent drone monitoring equipment to New Jersey and New York.
The FAA said the decision to ban drones for 30 days at 22 New Jersey utility sites was made in an abundance of caution at the request of federal security agencies after the aviation authority barred flights over two locations in the state in November.
The locations subject to the temporary ban across New Jersey include PSE&G electrical switching stations, substations, generating stations, a utility command centre and other facilities in places including Elizabeth, Edison, South Brunswick, Camden, Metuchen and Bridgewater.
The FAA late on Thursday temporarily barred drone flights for 30 days at 29 New York sites, including locations in New York City as well as Yonkers, Melville, Oceanside, New Castle, Far Rockaway and Holbrook.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had spoken to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and he told her the FAA planned to grant temporary flight restrictions over some of New York's critical infrastructure sites.
"This action is purely precautionary; there are no threats to these sites," Hochul said.
The FAA also said on Thursday that it was extending prohibitions on drones over President-elect Donald Trump's golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, through January 31.
The Department of Homeland Security said the New Jersey restrictions "do not impact manned aviation including airplanes and helicopters", adding it saw no "evidence of a threat".
The FAA said on Wednesday that reports are up 269 per cent to 59 in the first half of December, compared with eight in the same period in 2023.Â
The FAA said it had received dozens of new laser reports from pilots in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania airspace.
The FBI in New Jersey warned people on Wednesday not to shoot at suspected drones or point lasers at them, warning that "there could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly" as drones.
Officials have repeatedly said that most of the large fixed-wing sightings involved manned aircraft, and came after Trump on Monday called for more federal comment on the reported sightings.
About one million registered drones fly about 42 million flights annually.