Mysterious drones spotted over New Jersey and other states in the Northeast have prompted so much concern and confusion that a chorus of lawmakers have suggested the U.S. military shoot them down.
However, experts warn, that doesn’t mean residents should take matters into their own hands: Shooting drones is illegal and could end in serious injury.
“I can totally understand the primal instinct to protect ourselves,” said Pramod Abichandani, an associate professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the director of the school’s Advanced Air Mobility Lab. “But I want to caution against going as extremist as trying to shoot them down.”
Not only is trying to target a drone in the sky difficult for the average marksman, he said, it’s also a crime. The Federal Aviation Administration classifies drones as aircraft and, under the Aircraft Sabotage Act, damaging or destroying aircraft is a federal offense — even if it’s flying over private property.
Officials say the drones flying over New Jersey in the past few weeks appear to be commercial-grade, not recreational. They have caught the attention of the White House, which has sought to quell the anxiety over them.
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” national security spokesperson John Kirby said during a news conference Thursday.
Still, the lack of information about the flying devices has many worried. On Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., became the latest lawmaker to call for the drones to be shot down, echoing similar demands by others, including New Jersey Republican Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew.
“We have no idea where these drones come from, who owns them. We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies,” Blumenthal said on Thursday, adding: “They should be shot down, if necessary.”
In a statement to NBC News on Friday, the FAA said that shooting at an unmanned aircraft “could result in a civil penalty from the FAA and/or criminal charges from federal, state or local law enforcement.” The agency also said it could injure people.
“A private citizen shooting at any aircraft — including unmanned aircraft — poses a significant safety hazard. An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air,” the FAA said.
Abichandani said shooting drones could also set off fires.
“A drone has a lithium battery for the most part,” Abichandani said. “If you shoot at it, assuming you target it correctly and you actually hit the drone, the drone is going to fall somewhere. The lithium battery can explode, cause a fire, and of course, it can cause damage to property.”
Frustrated residents and local officials are seeking more information about the unexplained drones, but little is known. The Pentagon has said they are not owned by the military. In a joint statement earlier this week, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said that there were no confirmed drone sightings in restricted air space and said they were investigating whether the sightings are “actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.”
Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use, subject to FAA regulations and any flight restrictions by local governments. Those who operate them are required to be FAA-certified.
Abichandani said that while he could understand the urge to want to shoot down a foreign object hovering overhead, residents should resist.
“God forbid that stray bullet lands somewhere and hits somebody,” he said.
