The FBI has issued a warning to drone hunters after a number of pilots reported getting blinded by lasers pointed towards the sky by individuals who mistake planes for drones.
The FBI’s Newark division together with New Jersey state police are asking residents to knock it off following “an increase in pilots of manned aircraft being hit in the eyes with lasers because people on the ground think they see an unmanned aircraft system,” the bureau mentioned in an announcement.
The feds are additionally involved folks might shoot down what they imagine is a drone however is definitely an occupied plane.
“There could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly as [drones],” FBI Newark mentioned.
New Jersey residents have been affected by drone sightings overhead for weeks — sending locals and elected officers alike right into a tizzy.
A federal tip line for drone sightings obtained greater than 5,000 studies however fewer than 100 had been “deemed worthy of additional investigative exercise, the FBI mentioned.
White Home spokesman John Kirby mentioned Monday the drones zooming above the Backyard State are a mix of lawful business drones, hobbyist drones, and regulation enforcement drones — in addition to manned fixed-wing plane, helicopters and even stars mistaken for drones.
