The Federal Aviation Administration has now reportedly implemented a month-long prohibition on the operation of drones in certain areas of New Jersey due to security concerns.
This development has further complicated the enigma that has caused concern in the region.
Following a series of inexplicable drone sightings, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Thursday that unmanned aircraft were prohibited from flying over critical infrastructure in large areas of the state.
According to the FAA, the temporary restrictions were implemented at the behest of federal security officials and will be lifted on January 17.
The FAA directed additional inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security, which announced on Thursday that “critical infrastructure partners” requested the establishment of restrictions on their facilities.
The agency stated that the restriction was intended to discourage drone flights; however, it did not possess any evidence that the aircraft posed a threat.
The drone saga has captivated New Jersey since last month, when individuals began observing enigmatic aircraft emitting red, white, or green lights.
Thousands of sightings have been reported throughout the Northeast since that time.
The sightings, which have occurred primarily in New Jersey, have caused concern among residents and politicians.
They have reported that large unmanned aircraft have been observed over military installations, power lines, and suburban communities. Observers have been dispatched by the government to supervise the drones.
Conspiracy theories have been circulating online, with some positing that the drones are operated by foreign agents or extraterrestrial beings.
Those hypotheses have been discredited by federal officials. The drones are not a national-security threat, according to the White House.
Nevertheless, the federal government has not disclosed the source of the drones publicly, resulting in an information gap that some individuals are attempting to fill independently.
Last week, Andy Kim, one of their senators, stated that a drone he believed to have observed during a fact-finding mission was likely a small aircraft.
The FAA has determined that it is permissible to operate a drone at a height of less than 400 feet in the majority of locations. A fundamental safety test is required for recreational flyers.
Operators who wish to operate drones at night must possess a unique pilot certificate and install specific lighting systems on their aircraft.
The FAA stated that individuals who operate drones within the restricted New Jersey area within the next month may be subject to criminal charges.
The moratorium excludes drones that have been granted a federal waiver to operate, as well as those that are used for national-defense, law-enforcement, or firefighting missions.
The agency stated that the U.S. government could employ lethal force against aircraft in the vicinity if they presented an immediate security threat.
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