NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The Federal Aviation Administration has expanded a temporary ban on drone flights—previously implemented in 22 areas of New Jersey—to 30 areas in New York, including locations across New York City and Long Island.
The restricted areas are in Brooklyn; the Bronx; Calverton; Commack; Far Rockaway; Garden City; Glenwood Landing; Hicksville; Holbrook; Holtsville; Lynbrook; Melville; New Castle; New Hyde Park; Manhattan; Northport; Oceanside; Queens; Ridge; Roslyn Heights; Setauket; Shoreham; Staten Island; Yonkers.
The restrictions, requested by federal security agencies, are in place through mid-January to safeguard critical infrastructure, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday.
“Since mid-November, New York has been carefully monitoring reports of drone activity, and we have been communicating closely with our federal partners. I’ve spoken with Secretary Mayorkas multiple times and was just informed that he has coordinated with federal partners and the FAA plans to grant temporary flight restrictions over some of New York’s critical infrastructure sites — this action is purely precautionary; there are no threats to these sites,” Hochul said.
“This is in addition to the state-of-the-art drone detection system delivered to us by the Biden-Harris Administration earlier this week. While we have not detected any public safety or national security threats, we will continue aggressively monitoring the situation as we call on Congress to pass legislation to give states and local law enforcement the authority and resources they need to manage this evolving technology. Public safety is my top priority, and I will stop at nothing to keep my constituents safe,” she added.
Pilots may be “intercepted, detained, and interviewed by [...] law enforcement/security personnel” if they violate the restrictions, or face civil penalties, criminal charges or the revocation of operator’s certificates.
National security officials said this week that the reported aircraft don’t appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a public safety threat. But they can’t say with certainty who is responsible for the sudden rash of sightings over parts of New Jersey, New York and other eastern parts of the U.S.