Drones hovering close to the landing zone prevented a Medevac chopper from picking up a critically injured patient last week amid a series of mysterious drone flights over New Jersey at night, according to a security official.
On November 26, the medical helicopter was its route to an accident in Somerset County’s Branchburg Township, according to local authorities.
READ MORE: Following an I-5 crash, a drone prevents an Oregon medical helicopter from landing
In order for the medevac to land and transport an accident victim to the hospital, two security officers from Raritan Valley Community College blocked up the roadways surrounding the crash site, according to Brian Serge, the public college’s security supervisor.
Due to drones flying nearby, Serge claimed the fire department captain called the college’s security office at 6:54 p.m. to cancel the request for a helicopter landing zone.
Serge claimed that we never learned the true nature of the drones. It is quite mysterious. We asked around, but no one had any information.
It’s unclear if the drones at the college had anything to do with a string of drone sightings over Somerset and Morris counties in New Jersey in recent weeks. The FBI requested public images and footage earlier this week after seeing the drones flying above northern New Jersey for hours at a time, frequently in groups.
Following the sightings, the FAA also banned drones from flying above Picatinny Arsenal in Jefferson and Rockaway Township, as well as the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, which is six miles from the community college.
According to an FBI spokeswoman on Tuesday, the agency requested the limits out of a sense of prudence.
Branchburg police referred inquiries to the FBI into the accident that occurred on November 26 and the medevac chopper that was redirected.
Requests for more information made with the Branchburg fire department were not immediately answered. It was unclear whether the patient arrived at the hospital via helicopter landing somewhere else or by ambulance.
According to government officials, a drone operator who jeopardizes human safety could face severe consequences.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement on Monday that it investigates all reports of unapproved drone activities and looks into them when necessary. It also warned that drone operators who put aircraft or pedestrians in danger might face fines of up to $75,000 and have their drone operator pilot certificates revoked.
This report was contributed to by staff writer AJ McDougall. You may contact Tina Kelley [email protected].
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