Presidential Plane Flight Causes Scare in New York City

This morning people in lower Manhattan, Staten Island and across the Hudson River in New Jersey got a scare when a Presidential 747 and an F-16 fighter made an unannounced flight over the region. The low-flying airplanes set-off a panic that led to the evacuation of dozens of offices. Fortunately the incident was nothing more than a Defense Department-staged photo opportunity over the Statue of Liberty. However, many people including NYC Mayor Bloomberg are very upset they weren't told about the flyover in advance.

While the Mayor was in the dark prior to this morning, Newsday reports that the FAA says the NYPD, the city's 311 and 911 operation centers, the New Jersey State Police and some other agencies, were all told in advance about the photo op.

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By Planet Data