Drones or SUAVs (Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
Richard Newsted | Moment | Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday temporarily banned drone flights over 22 New Jersey areas amid complaints of strange and often bright drones in the night sky.
“At the request of federal safety partners, the FAA has issued 22 Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) prohibiting drone flights over New Jersey’s critical infrastructure,” the FAA said in a statement to CNBC.
TFR will run through January 17 and cover much of central and northern New Jersey, including Elizabeth, Camden and Jersey City, the Garden State’s second-most populous city.
Residents have reported seeing unexplained drones flying in the skies for weeks, sparking criticism from local officials and law enforcement who say agencies such as the FBI and Department of Homeland Security are not being transparent enough with residents.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security said last week they had “no evidence” that the drone sightings “posed a threat to national security or public safety.” They added that there was no evidence that the drones had “foreign links”. On Saturday, the agencies said they found that “many reported drone sightings were actually manned aircraft mistaken for drones.”
“At this time, we have not found any basis to believe that these drones were involved in any criminal activity, present any national security threat, present any specific public safety threat or involve a malicious foreign actor,” DHS officials said over the weekend.
Meanwhile, drone stocks rise this week Palantir announced with Red Cat Holdingscoupled with a rise in interest in mysterious sightings. Shares of Puerto Rico-based drone supplier Red Cat rose about 10% on Thursday.
About The Author
