On July 5, the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) said that a civil aircraft was intercepted by a US military F-16 fighter jet for violating restricted airspace at President Donald Trump's golf club in Bedford, New Jersey.
The incident occurred at around 2:39 p.m. (local time), when a multi-purpose aircraft entered the Temporary Flight Limited (TFR) established due to Mr. Trump's presence in the area.
According to NORAD, the F-16 fighter jet has been ordered to carry out "head blocking" against civil aircraft to issue warning signals. After that, the plane was safely escorted out of the restricted area.
The move is part of a broader warning response, as a total of five separate TFR violations were recorded in the Bedminster area on July 5. Of which, 3 incidents occurred before the "head blocking operation" and 1 more incident later in the day.
In an article on social network X, NORAD reminded civil pilots to check the Notice for Aviation Assignments (NOTAM) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before taking a flight.
NORAD added that the US multi-layered air defense system, including radar, satellites and fighter jets, is always effective in detecting and responding to illegal intrusion, whether unintentional or intentional.
Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has chosen Bedminster as one of his residences, so the FAA regularly establishes restricted airspace around the area whenever he is present.
pilots violating TFR areas are at risk of being blocked, fined, questioned by authorities or have their licenses suspended.
