US bans drone flights over critical sites in New Jersey amid security fears

The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that it was temporarily barring drone flights over 22 critical infrastructure locations in New Jersey.

The FAA said the decision to bar drones for 30 days at the sites was made in an abundance of caution at the request of federal security agencies after the agency barred drones over two locations in New Jersey in November.

The new locations across the state include Jersey City, Elizabeth, Edison, South Brunswick, Camden, Metuchen and Bridgewater.

A frenzy of concern about drones in New Jersey and surrounding states has prompted a dramatic spike in the number of people in the area pointing lasers at planes flying overhead, which is illegal and can be dangerous, the FAA said on Wednesday.

US agencies have repeatedly said that the spike in drone sightings does not pose national security risks and that they appear to be mostly aircraft, stars or hobbyist drones.

The FAA said on Wednesday that reports are up 269 per cent to 59 in the first half of December, compared with eight in the same period last year.