Over the weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration officially designated the airspace above the Caesars Superdome as a "No Drone Zone" during and ahead of the big game. Drone operators who do fly their devices into the restricted area, accidentally or otherwise, could have their drones confiscated or receive hefty fines up to 75,000. The decision comes just weeks after a hobbyist drone collided with a plane helping combat wildfires in California and amid an uptick in drone sightings around the country. Starting at 1:30 p.m. CST on game day (Sunday, February 9) the FAA will prohibit drones from flying within a 1.5 nautical miles radius and 2,000 feet in altitude of the Caesars Superdome. The restricted area space will expand to a 30 nautical-mile radius and 18,000 feet in altitude between 4:30 and 10:30 p.m CST that same day.

Multiple unauthorized drones flew above the Palisades fire Friday afternoon, forcing firefighting aircraft to leave the area for safety and angering those working on the front lines, authorities said. These sightings came just a day after a drone collided with a Super Scooper fixed-wing aircraft, grounding the plane for several days of repairs and reducing the number of aircraft available to fight the fire. "This is not just harmless fun. This is incredibly dangerous," said Chris Thomas, public information officer for the Palisades fire. "Seriously, what if that plane had gone down? It could have taken out a row of homes. It could have taken out a school."

A drone collided with a firefighting aircraft flying over the Palisades fire on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The aircraft landed safely and the incident will be investigated, an FAA official said. "It's a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands," the statement said. "Additionally, the FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to 75,000 against any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations" during a temporary flight restriction. "We hit a drone this afternoon -- first one," said L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

A New Jersey drone pilot says his device lost power and was forced to descend from a restricted chunk of airspace while the mystery flier he was trying to investigate managed to stay airborne despite a signal designed to shut down legal drones. Michael B, a podcaster and paranormal investigator behind the Terror Talk Productions YouTube channel, lives near the Picatinny Arsenal, an Army facility near where dozens of sightings have been reported in recent weeks. He was flying in the area, attempting to get a closer look at a larger, unidentified object he believes is a drone. "There was a drone just hanging out," he told FOX 5 New York. "I had full battery life. Not 3 minutes into the flight, I lost control of the drone."

New Jersey residents frustrated with a lack of answers regarding dozens of potential drone sightings in the skies above their homes are threatening to take action on their own if the government doesn't start providing answers. James Ward, a Jersey Shore Realtor, shared video on Facebook that he said shows "SUV-size drones" above Island Beach State Park taken Sunday. It's difficult to judge their size in the clip, which shows a number of lights hovering in the sky. "Dozens of SUV-size drones in all directions," the caption says. "Emerging at same time and flying over the ocean and then heading in different directions – what do you think?" "A good shotgun will fix that problem," one commenter replied.

Officials are still investigating unusual drone activity that has been reported in recent weeks in New Jersey. The FAA set temporary restrictions above Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster in response. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he spoke with state and federal officials about unusual drone activity in parts of the region, including the vicinity of President-elect Trump's Bedminster golf club, but stressed there was no threat to public safety. In a Thursday post on X, Murphy said he convened a briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, senior officials from DHS, the state police and state Homeland Security and Preparedness, as well as New Jersey's congressional delegation. "We are actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter," he wrote.

Officials are still investigating unusual drone activity reported in recent weeks in New Jersey. The FAA set temporary restrictions over Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. Authorities are still investigating mysterious drone activity observed several times in northern New Jersey in recent days, including the vicinity of President-elect Trump's Bedminster golf club. Multiple videos show drones flying in Somerset and Morris counties over the past few weeks, including Dec. 1 and Dec. 3. In a video from Nov. 25, a Morris County resident named Mike Walsh spotted drones flying over Black River Middle School in Chester.

Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen joined'Fox & Friends' to discuss why President Biden and Vice President Harris are facing scrutiny for their response to Hurricane Helene. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) clarified a message that warned civilian drone pilots not to fly near Hurricane Helene recovery and rescue efforts -- or risk penalty, fines or "criminal prosecution" -- after facing intense backlash online. Reached by Fox News Digital, a DOT spokesperson said civilian drone pilots are permitted and are assisting in rescue and recovery efforts, and previous "temporary flight restrictions" have since been lifted. Some X users -- collectively with millions of followers -- reacted adversely to a message addressed to drone pilots and with accompanying video from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shared by the department earlier this week. The message and video argued the restrictions would prohibit civilian volunteers from legally searching for victims or survivors when response time matters most or capturing their own footage of the disaster.