Drone sightings shut down runways at New York airport
Photo: New York Stewart International Airport (wikipedia.org)
A runway at Stewart International Airport near New York was closed for one hour due to the detection of an unidentified drone in the area, reports ABC News.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detected an unidentified drone on Friday at around 9:30 PM local time.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported that the runways' closure did not affect flight operations.
Local authorities call for investigation of drone incidents
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has requested federal assistance following this drone incident, which occurred amid other reports of unidentified drones since mid-November.
On Saturday, she expressed her frustration in a statement, saying, "This has gone too far."
Hochul urged the New York State Intelligence Center to investigate the drone incidents while also calling on the federal government to take stronger action.
Specifically, she called on Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, which would enhance FAA oversight of drones and grant additional authority to state and local law enforcement agencies for investigating these activities.
Drone flights over the US
Since mid-November, drones have been spotted in various parts of the country, including central New Jersey. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, and several members of Congress have also urged the federal government to investigate the cases.
A Department of Homeland Security representative stated that they are "confident that many of the reported drone sightings are, in fact, manned aircraft being misidentified as drones."
According to the FBI, investigators discovered that the "density of reported sightings matches the approach pattern" to busy New York airports, including Newark-Liberty, JFK, and LaGuardia.
However, an FAA official asserted that drones were undoubtedly flying over New Jersey, pointing to the nearly one million drones registered in the US.
An official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that "highly trained security personnel" visually observed drones near the Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey. The official noted that they do not believe foreign forces launched the drones or that the flights had malicious intent.
Both the FAA and federal authorities have stated that they are taking precautionary measures due to the drones.
The FAA also imposed a temporary ban on drone use during the Army-Navy game at the Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, where newly elected President Donald Trump and future Vice President J.D. Vance were expected to attend.
The FAA also introduced temporary flight restrictions for drones over the Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County, New Jersey, and the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, Somerset County.
Notably, in late November, small drones were detected flying over US military bases in the UK.
Additionally, it was recently reported that unidentified drones flew over the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany in December. Drones were also spotted over the facilities of defense contractor Rheinmetall.
