Incidents Of Lasers Pointed At Aircraft Skyrockets In New Jersey

As drone frenzy rocks New Jersey, reports of lasers being pointed at airplanes are up a whopping 269% versus a year ago. This is not a laughing matter.

Surge In Lasers Pointed At Aircraft Over New Jsery After Uptick In Drone Sightings

Last December, eight incidents of lasers pointed at aircraft over New Jersey during the first half of the month were reported. One year later, that number during the same period is 59, a 269% year-over-year increase.

What is prompting this? Fear…and perhaps some paranoia…over an uptick in drone sightings over the Garden State. As people see what appears to be drones overhead, some are shining lasers toward them. This is happening over New York State and Pennslyvania as well.

The problem is doing so is a violation of federal law (punishable by prison time, a fine exceeding $30,000, or both) and can cause irreparable eye damage for pilots and others who find themselves in the sight of the laser.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned against shooting down drones or pointing lasers at them, arguing that “there could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly.”  Attempting to assuage fears over the drone sightings, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) explained:

“There are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones lawfully in the sky on any given day. With the technology landscape evolving, we expect that number to increase over time.”

But at the same time, members of the House Intelligence Committee were briefed for over two hours in a closed-door meeting on drones and anti-drone technology has been added to military bases in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Preisdent-Elect Trump has also fueled the fire by calling for more transparency on federal investigations into this matter, suggesting a coverup.

CONCLUSION

Drone sights in New Jersey are up 269% compared to last night. While I understand the fear over what appears to be increased drone activity overhead, the answer is not shining lasers at them…the risk is too high it is not a drone at all.