The US Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday issued a multi-temporary flight ban over parts of New Jersey after the region was inundated with reports of sightings.
The bans cover the airspace of more than 20 cities in New Jersey, including Hamilton, Camden, Elizabeth and Jersey City, and will be in effect until January 17, 2025.
The FAA order follows a month of frequent drone sightings in the United States, including near government and military facilities. While authorities have tried to allay fears, more than 5,000 drone sightings have been reported.
The FAA is working with the Department of Homeland Security to implement the new drone restrictions. They do not affect manned aviation, including airplanes and helicopters.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Decrypt, “We continue to assess that there is no public safety threat related to the reported drone sightings.”
The FAA and the department have issued temporary restrictions on certain facilities at the request of critical infrastructure partners, the spokesman added.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reports of drones began in mid-November and were initially focused on New Jersey, but sightings have spread to New York, Maryland and as far west as California.
The authorities emphasized that there is no immediate danger to public safety. However, the proliferation of sightings has fueled speculation and criticism of a lack of transparency from federal officials.
While some policymakers and citizens are increasingly alarmed, skeptics suggest the phenomenon may have more mundane explanations.
Author, UFO analyst and skeptic Mick West told Decrypt: “When people see something they can't identify – often just clusters of lights – it's hard to tell what it is unless you're an aviation expert.
“They interpret it based on what they want. This happens because when you see something in the sky, you don't know how far away, how big it is, or how fast it's moving. It could be a nearby drone moving at the speed of a drone or a distant plane.
The sightings began in November and gained a lot of attention last week, going viral online and sparking widespread discussion. According to West, most of these reports – up to 99% – are likely to be unidentified aircraft, stars or other everyday phenomena.
“People started looking for drones, reports of sightings came out, and it got on the local TV news,” West said. “That sparked more interest, which led others to look for drones and believe they were seeing them.”
Politicians from both parties are urging the military and intelligence agencies to take action, including taking steps to shoot down drones when necessary.
“We have a lot of politicians so that's going to be an issue,” West said. “They want to be seen as active.”
As media coverage expanded, reports of sightings escalated, eventually garnering congressional hearings and national news attention.
Some speculate that the drones are searching for lost or stolen radioactive material.
Reflecting on the public response, the West is due to human nature.
“We've evolved to fear things,” he said. “Because it is more profitable to run away from possible threats than to approach and investigate them.”
“Instead of looking for solutions, we're looking for threats,” West said.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair.
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