Mystery drone sightings continue in New Jersey, New York and across the US
TRENTON, New Jersey -- A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over New Jersey and across the eastern U.S., sparking speculation and concern over where they came from and why.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim have both gone out on drone hunts, hoping for answers. The FBI, Homeland Security, state police and other agencies are investigating.
Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don't appear to be a threat to public safety, but many state and municipal lawmakers have nonetheless called for stricter rules about who can fly the unmanned aircraft - and to be allowed to shoot them out of the sky.
Federal authorities said Monday evening that the sightings have included legal commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned aircraft, helicopters and even stars mistakenly reported as drones. Officials said that the assessment was based on technical data and tips.
Local officials continue working to get answers on Tuesday
In Orange County local law enforcement agencies will be gathering Tuesday night in an effort to gather information on where the drones are coming from. They have asked residents to not fly their personal drones for the night.
Local lawmakers are also putting more pressure on the federal government to do a thorough investigation into what is flying through the skies at night.
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke outside of a Senate judiciary committee on Tuesday.
"We received only minimal information, which leads me to believe that our federal government has no idea, no clue, no reliable information, about these drones. And I am more and more concerned," he said.
What has been seen in New Jersey?
Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing drones statewide since mid-November, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump's golf course in Bedminster.
Murphy, a Democrat, said Monday that drone-detection equipment supplied by the federal government has yielded little new information. He declined to describe the equipment except to say it was powerful and could even disable the drones, though he said that's not legal on U.S. soil.
Murphy urged Congress to give states more authority to deal with the drones.
Meanwhile, the FBI and New Jersey state police warned against pointing lasers at suspected drones, because aircraft pilots are being hit in the eyes more often. Authorities also said they are concerned people might fire weapons at manned aircraft that they have mistaken for drones.
Do the drones pose a threat?
The growing anxiety among some residents is not lost on the Biden administration, which has faced criticism from Trump for not dealing with the matter more aggressively.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday the federal government has yet to identify any public safety or national security risks from any of the reported drone sightings in the northeast, saying officials believe they were lawfully flown drones, planes or even stars.
"There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States," Kirby said. "And there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day. That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with."
The federal government has deployed personnel and advanced technology to investigate the reports in New Jersey and other states, and is evaluating each tip reported by citizens, he said.
About 100 of the more than 5,000 drone sightings reported to the FBI in recent weeks were deemed credible enough to warrant more investigation, according to a joint statement by the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense.
Who is operating the drones?
Authorities say they do not know.
Speculation has nevertheless raged online, with some expressing concerns that the drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents.
On Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said it's unlikely the drones are engaged in intelligence gathering, given how loud and bright they are.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh has said the aircraft are not U.S. military drones.
Drone operators charged
A drone being flown near Boston's Logan International Airport on Saturday night led to the arrests of two men on charges of trespassing, breaking and entering and violating a municipal ordinance or bylaw, city police said. They pleaded not guilty to all charges
Police said the drone was flown "dangerously close" to the airport and an officer using drone monitoring technology detected the aircraft and the location of the operators, who were on an island in Boston Harbor.
The men, from the Boston area, appeared in court Monday and were released pending a Feb. 6 court date. The judge banned them from flying drones.
A third man who fled when police arrived where the drone was launched is still being sought.
Authorities said the men took a boat out to the island and broke into an abandoned hospital campus. When police arrived, one of the men told them he had been flying a drone and that it was in his backpack. Investigators said they used the drone's serial number to find data that shows it was flown six times on Saturday.
Michael Martin, a lawyer for one of the defendants, said that his client is a drone hobbyist who is interested in abandoned buildings and that the drone footage will support this.
Officials urge action against the drones
Trump has said he believes the government knows more than it's saying.
"Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!" he posted on Truth Social. Kim said he's heard nothing to support the notion that the government is hiding anything. He said a lack of faith in institutions is playing a key part in the saga.
"Nothing that I'm seeing, nothing that I've engaged in gives me any impression of that nature. But like, I get it, some people won't believe me, right? Because that's the level of distrust that we face," Kim said Monday.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut last week called for the drones to be "shot down."
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said members of the public must not try to shoot down drones, as that would violate state and federal laws.
Associated Press writers Michael Casey in Boston; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; and Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky contributed.
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