Suffolk Sheriff’s Detection System Spots Drones Over Gabreski Runways

Suffolk County’s mobile drone-detection system at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach detected unmanned aircraft flying over taxiways and runways, county officials said, triggering increased monitoring and a request for federal help. The system, deployed after a late 2024 surge of sightings, was put into expanded use in January 2025 and was provided to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office by the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services.

Officials at a press conference including Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. and County Executive Ed Romaine tied the detections to a spike in activity starting in mid-December and continuing through Christmas. Counts differ across reporting: 27east cited 28 unauthorized drones beginning mid-December and culminating on Christmas Day; the Suffolk Times and NewsNation quoted Toulon and airport officials saying there were 17 sightings on Christmas Day alone; wire reporting described “a rash of more than two dozen” sightings and noted some objects were reported “as big as cars.”

The detection technology identified by county and national outlets is Dedrone, described as using “radar, cameras and artificial intelligence to pinpoint drones in real time.” Chief Deputy Sheriff Chris Brockmeyer called it a “mobile detection system” that “will allow us to help identify not only where these are taking off from, but also the IDs that are associated with these drones.” Newsday’s public-records review of 2025 incident reports found most pinpointed operators were real estate photographers, recreational users and other operators, and that many alerts occurred in the afternoon.

County law-enforcement leaders said the detection data will feed enforcement steps. Brockmeyer said officials planned to use the information “to potentially go and knock on doors and locate the actual operator and have a conversation as to what they’re doing.” He also warned, “we’re not talking about five miles out. We are talking about over the airport, over taxiways, over runways — and that’s a serious safety concern. It’s impacted air operations and we’re not going to stand for it.” Brockmeyer and other officials reiterated that five miles of airspace around Gabreski is off-limits to drones.

Romaine urged federal involvement, asking the FAA to have the FBI look into violations and saying he wanted agencies to “step up to the plate and do their job” to find and prosecute those responsible. Legislator Ann Welker added, “a drone is not a toy and should not be treated as such.” Authorities reminded the public that operating a drone in restricted airspace can carry both federal and state penalties, including “fines of up to $250,000 and a three-year prison term.”

Dedrone alerts registered activity in East Quogue and across Westhampton and Westhampton Beach, and Southold police reported recent drone sightings over the North Fork. County officials said they will pursue coordination with federal partners, noting airport air-traffic control already notifies the FAA of intrusions as investigations continue.