Officials Warn Against Shooting Down Drones as More Sightings Reported

It’s been a month since mystery drones were first spotted over parts of New Jersey and the US government still hasn’t given definitive answers on their origin, even as sightings have spread to other states.

States including Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and Maryland have also reported sightings of large drones in the skies and speculation is pointing toward foreign government surveillance, UFOs or even aircraft that aren’t actually drones.  

Lawmakers in states including New York are planning to deploy drone-detection technology that could help avoid incidents such as having airports shut down, as happened on Dec. 13 at Stewart Airfield in New York and at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio early on Dec. 14.

Meanwhile, even as President-elect Donald Trump is urging the government to shoot drones out of the sky, officials are warning citizens not to take drone firing into their own hands. The Federal Aviation Administration has warned that taking a page from Ukraine and shooting down drones could turn the aircraft into dangerous projectiles that could harm property and people. 

Despite claims that the drones so far have posed no safety threat, those who’ve been living with drone sightings for weeks where the sightings began – in New Jersey – have expressed concern that there’s not enough information being shared with the public.

“I think that’s completely unacceptable. It’s just generating more chaos, and more people are worried,” Howell, New Jersey, resident Ramy Makary, told The New York Times.