Get Ready for Many More Drones, and Maybe Some New Rules

Reports of mysterious flying objects that began in New Jersey in mid-November and quickly spread throughout the Northeast have prompted concern and speculation from civilians and local lawmakers. But federal officials said it’s the attention to the array of aircraft that populates American airspace every day that’s new, not what’s up there.

In a Dec. 16 joint statement, the Federal Aviation Administration and three other federal departments and agencies said that the more than 5,000 reported sightings were “a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.” Officials said there’s no evidence that the sightings are a threat to national security or public safety.