The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed on Tuesday that it has implemented two flight restrictions in response to reports of suspicious drone activity near Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
According to a report from Fox News, the FAA first received reports of drone sightings on November 18 within Morris County, located approximately two miles north of the golf club in Somerset County. Following requests from “federal security partners,” the FAA issued two temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) for the state. Drone sightings in Central New Jersey have persisted into this week. One TFR restricts flights near Solberg-Hunterdon County Airport, encompassing airspace around Trump Bedminster. The second ban applies to the airspace above Picatinny Arsenal, a key U.S. Army facility in Dover, New Jersey, which specializes in research and development through its CCDCAC Armaments Center.
The ban will remain in effect over Trump Bedminster for the rest of this week and over Picatinny Arsenal until December 26, Fox reported. “Safely integrating drones into the National Airspace System is a key priority for the FAA,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday. “We look into all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate when appropriate,” the agency said, adding drone pilots who endanger aircraft or people can have their certification revoked and/or face $75,000 in fines.
Local media reported that law enforcement is actively investigating ongoing drone activity in the area. Additional sightings have been reported a few miles north of Bedminster, in Mendham and Parsippany, near the intersection of I-80 and I-287. A Parsippany resident told the Morristown Record that she observed up to five drones flying overhead on Sunday night, Fox noted. Morris County Sheriff James Gannon assured New Jersey Patch that there is “no immediate danger to the public at this time” but urged residents to send law enforcement clear photographs of the drones to assist with the investigation.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the bureau’s Newark field office, along with the New Jersey State Police, is actively investigating the incidents. Fox News Digital has reached out to Team Trump and the U.S. Army garrison at Picatinny Arsenal for comment. The drone sightings in New Jersey coincide with reports of unidentified drones spotted over British-American joint military bases in the United Kingdom, the outlet reported.
“Swarms of small drones” have reportedly been observed over several Royal Air Force (RAF) bases in England, including RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Fairford, and RAF Feltwell, some of which house advanced F-15 and F-35 fighter jets. In response, the British military deployed dozens of personnel to secure the bases. A Pentagon spokesperson stated on November 26 that none of the incursions compromised the bases’ buildings, personnel, or assets. In a separate incident, 1990s punk rock band Green Day temporarily halted a September performance in Detroit after a drone was spotted overhead. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong rushed backstage during the closing moments of “Longview.”
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