NEW JERSEY (PIX11) – The FBI on Monday delivered a warning to the public: don’t shoot guns or point lasers at mysterious drones in the sky.
Pilots of manned aircraft are increasingly being hit in the eyes with lasers because people on the ground think they see a drone, according to the FBI’s field office in Newark, New Jersey. The FBI is also concerned that people might shoot a gun at a manned aircraft after mistaking it for a drone.
"Not only is this act against the law, but it poses an incredible danger to the pilots and passengers on those aircraft," said Nelson Delgado, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in Newark.
The warning comes following a large number of reports of mysterious drones flying over New Jersey and across the northeast in recent weeks.
On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said there is little to no evidence of suspicious activity related to drones at this time.
Federal authorities have also said that there is no evidence of foreign involvement with the drones.
New Jersey recently received three new drone detection systems from the federal government that are being deployed near sensitive assets and critical infrastructure, according to Murphy.
"I want folks to know that we are on it, that we are on it 24/7, that we've got the most sophisticated systems ... that we've got experts who run those systems. And I have confidence that we will get the facts here," Murphy said.
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than six years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.
