FAA enforces emergency drone ban across New Jersey
FAA imposes emergency drone restrictions in New Jersey until Jan. 17, 2025, due to national security concerns.
Straight Arrow News
The surge of drone sightings in New Jersey and across the U.S. has prompted an array of conspiracy theories and false claims online.A joint statement on Dec. 17 from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense said the sightings include legal commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones, as well as manned planes and helicopters. Two days later, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said drones would be banned over certain “critical infrastructure” in the state. The FAA announced similar restrictions in New Jersey.While President Joe Biden said there doesn’t appear to be anything “nefarious” about the sightings, social media users have continued to spread misinformation about the aircraft’s origin and mission.
Related: Debunking false, misleading claims about President-elect Trump | Fact check roundup
Here’s a roundup of checks about drone sightings from the USA TODAY Fact Check Team:
Claim: Video shows drone crash in New Jersey
Our rating: False
The video does not show a drone crash. The footage is from a Dec. 12 plane crash near the border of New York and Connecticut, according to media reports.
Full fact check: Video shows plane wreck near Connecticut, not New Jersey drone crash
Claim: Drones deployed in New Jersey to search for missing radioactive material
Our rating: False
No drones were used in the search for the substance, according to a spokesperson for the New Jersey agency in charge of overseeing its recovery. The first drone sightings predate the misplacement of the substance by two weeks.
Full fact check: Drones were not used to find radioactive material lost in New Jersey
Claim: Pentagon ‘confirmed’ drones spotted in US skies are ‘not of earthly origin’
Our rating: False
The Pentagon said nothing of the sort. While a spokesperson ruled out a foreign “adversary” or the U.S. military as operators of the crafts, she suggested other possible explanations for the sightings in the same news conference.
Full fact check: Pentagon spokesperson did not ‘confirm’ drones were from space
Claim: Image shows drone that crashed in Alabama in December 2024
Our rating: False
The image has circulated online since at least February 2023 and shows a replica spacecraft from the “Star Wars” movies.
Full fact check: No, that’s not a crashed drone. It’s a TIE fighter replica
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.
