FAA issues ban on flying drones in several New Jersey cities amid ongoing sightings

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Thu Dec 19, 2024, 12:40 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: 6ABC WPVI-TV Philadelphia, PA

Thursday, December 19, 2024 10:59AM


PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There is a major development in the ongoing drone saga in New Jersey. Several federal agencies had tried to put to it bed earlier this week by saying they found nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the Federal Aviation Administration has now issued temporary flying restrictions (TFR) in multiple cities across New Jersey, including several locations in our area, due to "special security reasons."

The TFR areas include parts within the city of Camden, Gloucester City, Winslow Township, Evesham, Hancock's Bridge in Lower Alloways Township in Salem County, Westampton, Burlington and Hamilton in Mercer County. Flying drones are also banned in Bridgewater, Cedar Grove, North Brunswick, Metuchen, Westampton, South Brunswick, Edison, Branchburg, Sewaren, Jersey City, Harrison, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Clifton and Kearny.

Here is a map of those sites where flying drones are now temporarily banned:


FAA issues TFR in parts of New Jersey amid ongoing mysterious drone sightings.

Read more: https://6abc.com/post/drones-restrictions-effect-amid-ongoing-sightings-new-jersey/15675675/

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Full headline: FAA issues ban on flying drones in several New Jersey cities amid ongoing sightings See map

Just breaking that I heard on the local news radio here in Philly.

As a hush hush note, the FAA had banned these things over 45's Bedminster earlier this month - https://www.nj.com/morris/2024/12/after-nighttime-flights-faa-bans-drones-over-trumps-nj-golf-course.html


Article updated.

Original article/headline -

FAA issues ban on flying drones in several New Jersey cities amid ongoing sightings

Thursday, December 19, 2024 5:02AM


PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There is a major development in the ongoing drone saga in the Philadelphia area. Several federal agencies had tried to put to it bed earlier this week by saying they found nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the Federal Aviation Administration has now issued bans on flying drones in multiple cities across New Jersey, including several locations in our area, due to security reasons.


FAA drone restriction map

The small red circles each indicate "one nautical mile" radius flight restrictions in these areas. The city of Camden, Gloucester City, Winslow Township, Evesham, Hancock's Bridge in Lower Alloways Township in Salem County, Westampton, Burlington and Hamilton.

These areas have all now been deemed "National Defense Airspace." Unmanned aircraft are no longer allowed in those areas from now through January 17, unless approved by the federal government.

[hlthe2b]

1. I think little thought has been given to the potential devastating impacts of largely unregulated drones...

How soon until drug cartels and other gangs arm them and use them as their little armada against rival gangs? Use them to deliver an explosive to cars or houses of their enemies? Use them to go after witnesses, prosecutors, Federal Marshalls, or other LEO? How does law enforcement deal with this when FAA does not allow them to shoot them down? Maybe not an issue now, but how soon in the near future?

Far-fetched you say? Well, let's go to the mundane. My locale has already had to deal with out-of-control realtors hiring poorly trained operators to video neighborhoods--not merely the unit or home they are trying to sell. This has resulted in their (unintentional?) capturing of young children nude in bathtubs or even their older sisters in varying stages of undress as they buzz bathroom windows on upper floors with total disregard. Well, when those untrained/unaware/clueless staffers upload their videos to their websites--guess who is going to face not only privacy rights violations but potential child pornography investigations? The former has happened and these firms have faced large civil penalties. I am unaware if any have actually been charged for the latter, but it is a matter of time--even if the offense was "unintentional."

[BumRushDaShow]

2. "I think little thought has been given to the potential devastating impacts of largely unregulated drones..."

EXACTLY.

THAT has been my whole argument NOW and for the past dozen years since they passed the law (in 2012) allowing consumer ownership of these things. What differentiates them from the old "model airplanes" of the mid-20th century and on, is that these things can be equipped with cameras and I think much of the mentality of "regulation" was based on that old "model airplane" era and not the imaging capabilities of these things.

There are "rules of the road" and license requirements for UAVs of a certain size but there has also been too much of this ARROGANT ASSUMPTION that ALL of the owners/operators of these would be "angels", always on their best behavior, and would never ever operate them illegally.

I can imagine criminal operations that do home invasions who could (or perhaps already do) use these to "case a house" (vs sitting in a car across from the house under surveillance for a robbery to watch the comings and goings, but where that house might also have a doorbell camera that gets a pic of that criminal sitting there).

It took time to get Google under control when they were doing their "Street View Maps" photography with vehicles driving around neighborhoods with the big 360 camera thing in the back (and this "control" included requiring the blurring out faces of people who were captured in stills).

[ruet]

3. If You Can See Something With Your Eyes You can Photograph It.

What difference does a drone make?

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The "difference"

is that it can hover at someone's 3rd floor window and "peep in".

A bunch of years ago before I moved where I am now, I used to live in a hi-rise with a balcony near the top floor and when this damn law passed (back in 2012), the first thing I did was double up the drapes - including across my 2 sets of sliding-glass balcony doors.

As it was, I recall being home one day when a Google helicopter was hovering over the neighborhood doing imaging, slowly moving along a street and being annoyingly loud.

[hlthe2b]

7. Do you typically hover 3 stories up, peering into someone's bathroom window?

Or conversely, sit in the top of a very tall tree with a mega telescopic camera lens--peering through that void in the shades that give you a clear view of those in the bathroom? That would make you a "Peeping Tom" at a minimum (and a stalker quite possibly). Do you think there aren't penalties for THAT? I've got news for you. And yes, if you read my post upstream there ARE ways to hold people civilly liable and possibly criminally (if those pictures include undressed minor children) but it is difficult. There need to be far more regulations on all drones--including those personally owned to the commercial varieties.

I can't believe you would think that is "okay."

[FakeNoose]

9. I wonder if there's any evidence that Google is sending up these drones in New Jersey?

Maybe they want to replace the 360-cars with unmanned drones ... and maybe this is a test run? I don't know.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Well that is something that might need to be looked at

Google is obviously using satellites for their satellite views and the non-military ones obviously have limits. But there is an overlay happening with progressively closer and closer "views" over an area that had been filled in with helicopter imagery early on when they started their "Street View" project (that I use all the time by the way), but could possibly (and much more quietly) be done with quadcopters fitted with hi-res cameras nowadays, doing "overhead" shots.

I think the roving 360 cameras might stay though because they are actually navigating streets, highways, and even going into larger business areas like mall parking lots, etc.

[MichMan]

4. How do they plan on enforcing it?

[BumRushDaShow]

6. It's a problem, isn't it?

THAT is why when they passed the damn law, it was done out of cute reasons without any thought whatsoever that it could and WOULD be misused.

Some of these people are so damn naive.

[FakeNoose]

8. Good move on the FAA's part, but why did it take this long?

Unrestricted drone flying was a bad idea from the start. Of course it was going to be abused.
Now it has come to this ...

[republianmushroom]

11. chuckle chuckle