US Fighter Jets Intercept Civilian Aircraft Near Trump's Bedminster Golf Club
US fighter jets intercepted two civilian aircraft that entered temporary restricted airspace near President Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Sunday (9/8).
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said F-16 fighter jets were deployed to deal with a number of general aviation aircraft that violated Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) over Bedminster.
“NORAD F-16s intercepted several general aviation aircraft today that violated temporary flight restrictions over Bedminster, New Jersey. All aircraft were safely escorted out of the area by NORAD aircraft,” NORAD said in a statement on social media platform X.
Local media reported that two civilian aircraft were intercepted by the fighter jets. One video circulating online showed an F-16 tailing a relatively slow-moving aircraft.
The video was uploaded to X by Joe Afflerbach of Joey’s North Jersey Severe Weather. NJ.com, a digital news content provider in New Jersey, later published the video after obtaining permission from Afflerbach. The footage was reportedly taken from Afflerbach’s home in Jefferson Township, outside the Bedminster area.
Trump was known to be at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster throughout the weekend.
In addition to the two intercepted aircraft, a third aircraft also triggered an alert as Trump was preparing to leave the area, according to a Fox News report.
The third aircraft reportedly caused Trump’s departure to be delayed by around 13 minutes. During the delay, a number of emergency vehicles, law enforcement officers and Secret Service agents were seen moving towards the runway scheduled to be used by Trump for departure.
However, the third aircraft subsequently re-established communication with authorities and complied with the flight restrictions, so NORAD did not need to carry out an interception.
NORAD is a joint US and Canadian command responsible for aerospace warning and defence of North America. The deployment of fighter jets to intercept aircraft entering restricted airspace is one of the security procedures applied when temporary flight restrictions are imposed.
The incident occurred while Trump was spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster. Airspace around the location can be subject to temporary restrictions when the president is present as part of security procedures.
There were no reports of casualties or damage in the two interceptions. NORAD also stated that all intercepted aircraft were safely escorted out of the restricted area.