Planes mistaken for drones, dogged by laser pointers

The FBI’s Newark office and the New Jersey State Police on Monday urged citizens not to point lasers at aircraft they think are aerial drones. The agencies’ joint statement comes after numerous reports of commercial pilots being hit in the eyes with lasers while flying their planes. The public over the last week has become fascinated with supposed sightings of drones over New Jersey and New York city.

FBI agents, New Jersey State Police officers, and other law enforcement members have been out every night for weeks trying to find individuals operating aerial drones illegally, according to the statement. If civilians take matters into their own hands by pointing lasers at commercial pilots lawfully flying their aircraft, there could be deadly consequences.

Have officials said anything about the cause of these reported drone sightings? The FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week said they had no reason to believe that the drone sightings posed a threat to national security. The agencies also had no reason to believe that a foreign power was behind the drone sightings, they said.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how officials are demanding answers about drones and where they’re coming from.