FAA issues ban on flying drones in several New Jersey cities amid ongoing sightings | See map

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There is a major development in the ongoing drone saga in New Jersey.

Several federal agencies had tried to put to it bed earlier this week by saying they found nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the Federal Aviation Administration has now issued temporary flying restrictions (TFR) in multiple cities across New Jersey, including several locations in our area, due to "special security reasons."

The TFR areas include the city of Camden, Gloucester City, Winslow Township, Evesham, Hancock's Bridge in Lower Alloways Township in Salem County, Westampton, Burlington and Hamilton. Flying drones are also banned in Bridgewater, Cedar Grove, North Brunswick, Metuchen, Westampton, South Brunswick, Edison, Branchburg, Sewaren, Jersey City, Harrison, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Clifton and Kearny.

Here is a map of those sites where flying drones are now temporarily banned:

The small red circles each indicate "one nautical mile" radius flight restrictions in these areas, including from the ground up to 400 feet. 400 feet is the altitude at which recreational drones are allowed to operate under FAA rules.

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The previously issued TFRs for Bedminster and Picatinny Arsenal remain in place.

These areas have all now been deemed "National Defense Airspace."

Unmanned aircraft are no longer allowed in those areas from now through January 17, unless approved by the federal government.

See the full list of temporary flight restrictions on the FAA website.

The FAA says pilots who violate the airspace may be "intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement." The FAA can also take administrative action including imposing civil penalties and suspend/revoke the airmen certificate as well as pursue criminal charges.

The agency ominously warns that the U.S. government may use deadly force against any drones if they pose an imminent threat.

This ban comes after Sunday's press briefing where an FAA official said there have "without a doubt" been drones flying over New Jersey, pointing to the fact that there are nearly a million drones are registered in the U.S.

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Action News has made calls to the FAA and are being directed to press officers. We are still waiting to find out why these orders were issued after weeks of downplaying concerns about drone sightings and why now.

The ban also comes after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was blocked Wednesday from quickly advancing a bill that would allow local law enforcement agencies to track aerial drones, ensuring Congress won't act this year on the mysterious drone sightings that have bewildered residents of New Jersey and across the eastern U.S.

Schumer, a New York Democrat, sought to speed a bipartisan bill through the Senate by seeking unanimous consent on the floor, but Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, objected to its passage.

"The people in New York and New Jersey have a lot of questions, and they're not getting good enough answers," said Schumer. "The utter confusion surrounding these drone sightings shows that the feds can't respond all on their own."

Schumer has also called for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to deploy better drone-tracking technology to identify the drones and their operators.

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The Senate bill would have also enhanced some federal agencies' authority to act on drones, as well as started a pilot program to allow states and local authorities to disrupt, disable or seize a drone without prior consent of the operator.

"This bill would ensure that law enforcement has the technology needed to quickly and clearly identify exactly what the reported sightings of drones across the country actually are," said Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who sponsored the bipartisan bill.

National security officials have said the drones don't appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a public safety threat. But they can't say with certainty who is responsible for the sudden swarms of drones over parts of New Jersey, New York and other eastern parts of the U.S.

Some U.S. political leaders, including Trump, have called for much stronger action against the drones, including shooting them down.

Paul, the Kentucky Republican who often advocates for limiting governmental powers, said that he was objecting because it is not clear there is a threat that warrants urgent action.

He said the bill would "expand federal authority to intercept communications and disrupt drone activity - powers that raise serious concerns for Americans' privacy, civil liberties, and Fourth Amendment protections against unwarranted search and seizure."

The Associated Press contributed to this post.