Within the first press briefing of President Trump’s second administration, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed at this time that the mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey and the East Coast in December 2024 had been primarily FAA-authorized operations, with extra exercise from leisure pilots.
“After analysis and examine, the drones that had been flying over New Jersey in massive numbers had been approved to be flown by the FAA for analysis and numerous different causes,” Leavitt said, relaying info instantly from President Trump. She added that many flights had been performed by “hobbyists, leisure and personal people that take pleasure in flying drones,” and that “This was not the enemy.“
The press secretary’s assertion addresses weeks of hypothesis concerning the nature of elevated drone exercise that prompted momentary flight restrictions close to delicate areas, together with Trump’s Bedminster golf membership and the Picatinny Arsenal army base.
Mysterious Drone Sightings Began in December
The drone sightings started in mid-November 2024, producing important public curiosity and hypothesis. Then-President-elect Trump had questioned the federal government’s transparency relating to the incidents, suggesting army authorities may monitor the drones to their launch areas. Former President Biden and his Nationwide Safety Communications Adviser John Kirby had maintained all through the occasions that the drone exercise posed no safety menace.
FAA’s Fast Response to December’s Drone Exercise
In a major regulatory response to the surge in drone sightings, the Federal Aviation Administration applied in depth flight restrictions throughout New Jersey through the peak of the incidents. On December 18, 2024, the company issued 22 Momentary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) protecting important infrastructure websites all through the state. These restrictions established no-fly zones inside a 1 nautical mile radius and as much as 400 toes in altitude round designated areas.
The measure, applied on the request of federal safety companions, represented some of the complete drone restriction efforts in latest historical past, although the TFRs have since expired as of January 17, 2025. This regulatory motion, whereas momentary, demonstrated the fragile stability authorities should strike between enabling approved drone operations and defending delicate infrastructure.
The timing of those restrictions, now revealed to have coincided with FAA-authorized analysis flights, provides an intriguing layer to the broader narrative of December’s drone exercise.
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