Mysterious drones now reported to be flying illegally over Gabreski Airport

Suffolk County wants to put a stop to unauthorized drones flying over restricted airspace

Logan Crawford

Jan 3, 2025, 10:43 PM

Updated yesterday

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Suffolk County wants to put a stop to unauthorized drones flying over restricted airspace.
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office says 28 drones have been spotted flying over or near Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach since the middle of December.
On Dec. 17, a flight was delayed because four drones were spotted in the flight path. Like the drones reported flying over the rest of the tri-state area, Suffolk officials say the drones flying over Gabreski Airport are a mystery. They say they will now be using mobile detection technology to try to identify them.
"We want people to understand the dangers. Are their drones registered? Do they realize the airspaces they can and cannot fly in?” said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.
Suffolk officials say this technology will hopefully help them find out where these drones are taking off from and who is flying them. They're also calling on the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration to help.
"It's definitely concerning. I feel like somebody knows something, and we should know that,” said Julia Hasley, of Flanders.
Suffolk officials say if you know about any drones flying illegally, report it to local law enforcement.
The Suffolk Sheriff's Office says they will be implementing the mobile detection system at Gabreski Airport as soon as the end of the day.