New York and New Jersey residents are far from the only people having issues with drones.
The NFL is in the midst of its own fight against the devices and has called on congressional lawmakers to act. The leagues hope lawmakers will pass a bill to help curb the number of devices that violate airspace on gamedays.
A drone flies in the air as it holds an NFL football between the NFC and AFC during the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown at Wide World of Sports on Jan. 25, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
“The time for us to act on this is now,” NFL’s Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier said this week, via FOX 5 DC. “We don’t want to wait until something bad happens.”
Drone flights are banned up to 3,000 feet before professional games within a three-mile radius of stadiums, according to Reuters.
The Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act would give state and local authorities to intercept drones. Drone sightings in NFL games have increased to around 2,800 in 2023 from just around 12 in 2012, the league said.
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Recent efforts to get the bill into the end zone were blocked.
The AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens was temporarily suspended because of a drone issue. A Pennsylvania man was charged for flying the drone and pleaded guilty to knowingly or willfully violating United States National Defense Airspace.
The NFL shield logo on the field at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Another game in Baltimore was delayed twice because of a drone.
“We know how significant this threat is, and there’s nothing more we can do,” Lanier added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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