Feds Temporarily Ban Drone Flights Over South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary ban on drone flights over 22 New Jersey towns, including South Brunswick until mid-January, the agency announced.

The restrictions were issued for "special security reasons," the FAA said, and will be in place until Jan. 17.

Read More Here: Feds Ban Drone Flights Over Multiple NJ Towns: See Where

The restrictions come after weeks of reports about drone flights all over New Jersey, including sightings over two military installations, Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County and Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County.

Two drones were also spotted flying over the PSEG nuclear power plant in Salem over the weekend, officials said. The utility company had asked the Federal Aviation Administration to shut down the airspace over the sensitive sites.

Under the current FAA restrictions, no drones — also called unmanned aircraft systems — are authorized except under special circumstances, including ones being flown by law enforcement or in support of "an act of national defense, homeland security, firefighting, or a disaster response mission," and commercial drones with a valid statement of work.

Drone pilots must have a special governmental interest airspace waiver and comply with all other federal aviation regulations, the FAA notice said.

Other Middlesex County towns included in this ban are North Brunswick, Edison and Metuchen.

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