A drone spotted near Stewart International Airport in Orange County, New York Friday night forced the airport to temporarily shut down its runways for about an hour.

In a statement, the Port Authority said, "There were no impacts to flight operations during the closure."

Similar action would need to be taken at Newark Airport if it happened closer to home.

Greg Ehrie, chief security officer of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told the New Jersey Globe, "If we've got a drone, we'd have to assess and shut the whole airport down"

With the surge of drone activity, lawmakers like Rep. Josh Gottheimer are working to keep airports and airspace safe.

"We need to make sure that local law enforcement, the FAA, our airports, everyone has the tools they need, and the tools exist," said Gottheimer.

New Jersey is one of several states where drones have been spotted. It's also the state with the largest presence of the night flyers.

FBI Newark, New Jersey State Police and dozens of other agencies and law enforcement partners say they’ve been out every night for several weeks to legally track down operators acting illegally or with nefarious intent and using every available tool and piece of equipment to find the answers the public is seeking.