The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning to drone hunters in New Jersey after several pilots reported being temporarily blinded by lasers pointed toward the sky. The lasers were pointed by people who believed they were targeting drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The FBI also fears that people might end up shooting down planes with passengers taking them for unmanned vehicles.
The FBI’s Newark division along with New Jersey state police urged the residents to stop doing this dangerous practice and exercise caution.
“An increase in pilots of manned aircraft being hit in the eyes with lasers because people on the ground think they see an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS),” the FBI said in a statement.
The US agency is also worried that the drone hunters could shoot down what they believe is a drone, but in actual it will be an aircraft with passengers.
“There is also a concern with people possibly firing weapons at what they believe to be a UAS but could be a manned aircraft. There could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly as UAS,” stated the US federal agency.
“Misidentification often occurs when UAS [drones] are mistaken for more familiar objects such as manned aircraft, low-orbit satellites, or celestial bodies like planets or stars,” the agency added.
The mysterious drone sightings, which became a hot issue across the US, began on November 18 in New Jersey and have been reported every night since then, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Drones have been observed flying over residential neighbourhoods, restricted areas, and critical infrastructure across at least six states of US — New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Virginia.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS DRONES IN US AIRSPACE ARE LEGAL AND LAWFUL
The White House, under the Joe Biden administration, stated on Tuesday that the recent drone sightings pose no public threat. It emphasised that the drones in question are “legally and lawfully” allowed to fly in US airspace.
The White House also stated that more than 1 million drones are registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman, said, “drones in the sky are far from unusual.”
“It is legal to fly drones in unrestricted airspace as long as they are registered with the FAA. There are thousands and thousands of these kinds of flights every single day,” Kirby added.
Despite the White House’s clarification, the series of unexplained flying drones on the East Coast have raised concerns.
According to CBS News, a Facebook group called “New Jersey Mystery Drones – Let’s Solve It” has grown to over 73,000 members recently, where people share drone sightings and discuss the possible source of the mysterious activity.
The drone problem will have to be dealt with now, as it is affecting pilots now.
