The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), tasked with protecting U.S. airspace, responded to a series of airspace violations in the skies over New Jersey. NORAD announced that it intercepted general aviation aircraft that violated temporary flight restrictions in effect over the Bedminster and East Rutherford areas on Sunday with F-16 fighter jets.
According to the statement, more than 10 general aviation aircraft entered the restricted airspace. NORAD directly intercepted and stopped three of these aircraft. In two of the interceptions, flares were deployed to get the pilots' attention. NORAD stated that the flares used met the highest safety standards, burned out quickly and completely, and posed no danger to people on the ground.

All general aviation aircraft were safely escorted out of the restricted area by NORAD aircraft. NORAD urged pilots to check NOTAMs and FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions before entering airspace. The statement added, "If a NORAD aircraft intercepts a general aviation aircraft, the pilot should immediately switch to frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and reverse course until further instructions are received on those frequencies."