The NYPD has helped ground nearly 100 drones spotted violating the airspace over FIFA World Cup Games, fan zone events and watch parties in both New York and New Jersey since June 13 — and it plans to seize more as New York holds one of the largest Independence Day weekend celebrations in the city’s history, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference at NYPD Headquarters in lower Manhattan, Tisch said her officers have helped mitigate 97 drones that were caught violating temporary airspace restrictions at World Cup games and fan zone events.
“We will continue to do this through July 4 weekend,” Tisch warned. “Anyone who illegally violates our airspace restrictions, your drone will be seized.”
The U.S. federal government gave the NYPD the technology and training to disable drones electronically and fly them out of restricted airspace in late May, just before the World Cup games began.
At the time, Tisch said that fear of a drone attack kept her up at night and this “operational breakthrough” is necessary in an ever-changing threat landscape.
“Tactics that once belonged to militaries are now accessible to smaller groups and individuals,” the top cop said. “The threat picture has changed, the technology has changed, and our capabilities have to change with it.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch listens to a question during a press conference in the Bronx on Monday, June 15, 2026, in New York City. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)
The nation’s largest police department, which can detect drones and has numerous drones of its own, has for several years backed proposed legislation that would allow it to electronically jam and disable drones seen as threats to public safety.
Last year, with that approval still pending, the FBI needed to work alongside local police to keep an eye out for suspicious drones during the city’s Fourth of July celebration.
During the World Cup, temporary flight restrictions have been put in place for all games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, as well as fan zone events, including watch parties, in both states.
The NYPD, along with its state and federal partners, managed to seize 97 drones since June 13.
“Any drones that operate within that temporary flight restrictions are subject to seizure,” Tisch said Wednesday.
Temporary flight restrictions will also be in place this weekend during the Sail4th 250 maritime celebration and Macy’s fireworks show.
All of the drones that have been seized have been remote-controlled hobbyist drones, Rebecca Weiner, NYPD deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, said Wednesday.
“But that underlines how widely available they are and how many there are in the skies,” she said of the seizures. The drone mitigation program, she said, is a “huge step forward” in protecting the city against a potential drone attack.
“It doesn’t have to be a special drone,” Weiner explained of the equipment used in drone attacks. “Even a run-of-the-mill drone can be altered.”
FILE – A drone is pictured in the Bronx on Friday June 13, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
The success of the drone mitigation program comes as airline pilots have seen an increase in drone activity at major metropolitan airports.
On June 26, two planes flying into Newark International Airport spotted a drone flying above the airport. The drone narrowly struck a United Airlines jet that was landing there.
On Monday morning, a drone struck a Jet Blue plane right above the cockpit as the plane was landing at Kennedy Airport in Queens.
It’s illegal to fly a drone in controlled airspaces like airports, but the Federal Aviation Administration says “reports of unmanned aircraft sightings from pilots, citizens and law enforcement remain high.”
“The FAA receives more than 100 such reports near airports each month,” the FAA said. “The agency wants to send out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal. Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.”