Mysterious unmanned drones have been frequently spotted in certain areas of New Jersey and along the East Coast, prompting more calls for action from the Biden administration and Congress, including from New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
Reports of sightings in New Jersey and New York continue to increase, with multiple sightings also reported in Delaware and Philadelphia County, as per a report by Philadelphia’s WPVI-TV. These drones have also appeared near sensitive military locations in the United States. However, the Pentagon denied on Wednesday that these mysterious drones are related to any foreign entities.
These drones are much larger than typical unmanned drones. Two witnesses reported seeing an aircraft near a Virginia beach on Thursday night that looked unlike any other aircraft they had seen before.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wrote a letter to President Joe Biden seeking answers. Murphy and law enforcement officials emphasized that the drones seem to pose no threat to public safety, but many state and local lawmakers are still calling for stricter regulations on drone flights.
Some individuals, including former President Donald Trump, have called for “shooting down drones.”
In a statement on Saturday, Kathy Hochul called for Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act to empower the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to address the threats posed by drones and give the Federal Aviation Administration more regulatory powers.
“It is crucial to extend these powers to New York and our counterparts. Before state and local officials have obtained these powers, the Biden administration must intervene by deploying more federal law enforcement to New York and surrounding areas to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and people,” the statement said.
Congress members from the northeastern United States, where the drones have been discovered, wrote to the FBI, DHS, and FAA last Thursday requesting information on the drone sightings.
New Jersey Congressman Mike Inganamort also urged the Biden administration to take action against the increasing number of drones.
Newly elected US Senator from New Jersey, Andy Kim, conducted a drone search in a rural area north of the state on Thursday night and shared information on it.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN on Friday that the discovered drones were not “malicious” and did not pose a “threat,” echoing earlier comments this week from the White House.
Trump tweeted, saying he believes the government knows more than they are saying. He urged authorities to shoot down drones and to gain more insight into these mysterious drone sightings.
Sightings of drones in the northeastern part of the United States have been reported by dozens of witnesses since November.
Initially, drones were spotted flying along the scenic Raritan River supplying water to the state’s largest underground reservoir, Round Valley Reservoir, located about 50 miles west of New York City.
However, sightings of drones have spread throughout the entire state, including near the Picatinny Arsenal military base and over former President Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.
Recent sightings of drones have also occurred in coastal areas.
Congressman Chris Smith said a Coast Guard commander informed him that over a dozen drones were closely tracking a Coast Guard lifeboat near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County over the weekend.
New York City has also reported drone sightings, with drone flights requiring permits in the city. Mayor Eric Adams stated that the city is cooperating with officials from New Jersey and the federal government in investigating the sightings.
Governor Hochul of New York stated that due to drone activity in the airspace, Stewart International Airport, located about 60 miles north of New York City, was closed for about an hour on Friday night.
“This has gone too far,” she said in a statement.
The White House stated that a review of reported sightings showed that many were actually legal manned aircraft flights, which aligns with the opinions of officials and drone experts.
The Departments of Homeland Security and FBI also issued a joint statement saying there is no evidence indicating that the sightings pose a “national security threat or public safety threat or are connected to foreign entities.”
After receiving a briefing from Homeland Security, New Jersey Congressman Dawn Fantasia stated that the reported drones had a diameter of up to 6 feet and sometimes turned off their lights during flight. She noted that these drones were much larger than the ones typically flown by hobbyists and seemed capable of evading traditional detection methods such as helicopters and radios.
There have been rampant speculations online, with some expressing concerns that these drones may be part of a conspiracy involving foreign agents. Authorities have stated that they do not know who is behind the drones or whether it’s a single drone being repeatedly discovered or multiple aircraft coordinating operations.
Smith and Congressman Jeff Van Drew have urged for the drones to be shot down for safety reasons.
The Pentagon insists that these drones do not pose a threat from foreign sources.
Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder stated on Thursday that the military’s initial assessment remained unchanged following consultations with the DHS and National Security Council, with the understanding that these drones do not originate from foreign sources.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated on Wednesday that these aircraft are not US military drones.
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal stated on Thursday that if needed, the drones should be shot down, although it is currently unclear who is behind the drones.
“We should conduct extremely urgent intelligence analysis and make them disappear from the air, especially when they fly over airports or military bases,” Blumenthal said.
However, experts have cautioned against firing at any objects in the sky.
Trisha Bushey, a 48-year-old resident from Lebanon Township in New Jersey near Round Valley Reservoir, where multiple sightings occurred, expressed disbelief in claims that the drones do not pose a threat to public safety.
“If you don’t know what it is, how can you say it’s not a threat?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people feel uneasy about it.”
In New Jersey, recreational and commercial drone flights are legal but must comply with local and FAA regulations and flight restrictions.
Operators are required to obtain FAA certification.
Reports of sightings have also been made in Virginia and other locations.
John Knight found an aircraft near a Virginia beach on Thursday night that looked different from any other aircraft he had seen before.
He told the Virginian-Pilot that the object was flying above the sea and they saw it moving slowly over the Virginia Army National Guard facility.
“This is definitely unusual,” Knight said, noting that the drone appeared to be the size of a small truck, and he even captured a video of it.
A spokesperson for the Virginia National Guard stated that no aircraft were conducting missions in the area of the facility on Thursday night, and leadership is investigating the matter.
Another military facility in the area is the Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex. Base public affairs officer Katie Hewett stated in an email to the Associated Press on Friday that the base is concerned about recent drone sightings in the area and is coordinating with federal and state agencies to ensure personnel and operations safety.
Knight reported the related video to the FBI hotline on Thursday night.
In Massachusetts, it was reported that 10 to 15 drones were circling above a residence in Harwich on Cape Cod on Thursday night. A resident told police that the objects were very bright, and she observed them for over an hour.
Police stated that earlier that evening, a police officer from the same town noticed similar drones near the public safety center.
The local police department indicated that this information has been relayed to the FBI and the Massachusetts State Police.
Last month, drones were also discovered in the UK. The US Air Force reported detecting several small unmanned aerial vehicles near four military bases used by the US military.
(Credit: Congressional Mountain News and Associated Press)