WPBN: Following more reported drone sightings in the eastern United States, elected officials stepped up their efforts to identify and halt the enigmatic unmanned flights, resulting in arrests close to Boston’s Logan International Airport and a brief closure of airspace at an Air Force post in Ohio.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base outside Dayton, Ohio, had to limit its airspace for around four hours late Friday into early Saturday due to drones flying around the base, according to base spokesperson Robert Purtiman.
The base is among the biggest in the world, and this is the first time drones have been seen there. Purtiman added on Monday that no sightings have been reported since early Saturday. He said the drones varied in size and had no effect on any base facilities, but he would not indicate how many were in the vicinity.
On Saturday night, two men were taken into custody by Boston city police on suspicion of flying a drone “dangerously close” to Logan Airport. According to the authorities, an officer identified the aircraft and the operators’ location by using drone tracking technology.
Police are still looking for a third man who escaped. According to authorities, the two males might be subject to additional penalties and fines in addition to trespassing accusations.
Police in Boston advised drone pilots to follow federal safety regulations.
“Even small drones pose significant risks, including the potential for catastrophic damage to airplanes and helicopters. Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk,” police stated.
According to national security experts, the drones that were recently detected in the country’s east don’t seem to represent a threat to public safety or an indication of foreign meddling. However, leaders of both political parties are calling for improved technology and authority to deal with the drones because they are unsure of who is to blame for the unexpected drone swarms and how to stop them.
In order to identify the drones and their operators, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer on Sunday demanded that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security send improved drone-tracking equipment to New York and New Jersey.
According to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, the federal government has consented to provide the state with a drone detection system.
“New Yorkers have tremendous questions about it,” Schumer, the Senate majority leader stated about the drone sightings. “We are going to get the answers for them.”
According to Mayorkas, several of the drones that were detected over areas of New Jersey and New York have been identified as “manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones.” As far as we are aware, there is no foreign connection to the sightings in the Northeast. And we are looking into this situation with vigilance.
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Democratic Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey wrote on X on Sunday night that he and state police had been searching West Trenton, New Jersey, for drones.
The FBI had briefed him about the sightings in Colts Neck, New Jersey, he added. “The public deserves clear answers — we will keep pushing the federal government for more information and resources,” he said.
Since last year, federal aviation regulators have mandated that some drones broadcast their remote identification, which includes the operators’ whereabouts.
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It’s unclear if that information has been used to identify the person responsible for the drones that are causing problems over New Jersey and New York. When asked if they have used this technology to identify drones, Mayorkas’ office did not reply.
Last month, dozens of enigmatic midnight flights began over portions of New Jersey, which alarmed locals and authorities. The fact that the flying objects were first observed over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster and close to the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing site, is part of the cause for concern.
Reports of drones have spread over the northeastern United States.
