Lawmakers call on police to investigate drone sightings; White House says most are 'manned aircraft'
STATEN ISLAND, New York -- Borough President Vito Fossella and local elected officials plan to issue a call for the New York City Police Department to investigate the sightings of drones over Staten Island on Friday.
That call for action follows reports of drone sightings all over the Tri-State area, most recently, in Orange County, New York.
Meantime, A U.S. senator has called for mysterious drones spotted flying over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region to be "shot down, if necessary," as it remains unclear who owns them.
"We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they're flying over airports or military bases," Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Thursday as concerns about the drones spread across Capitol Hill.
People in the New York region are also concerned that the drones may be sharing airspace with commercial airlines, he said.
The White House said Thursday that a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are manned aircraft being flown lawfully.
In one case, a United flight was mistaken for a drone, and a video with millions of views on TikTok was actually a state police helicopter flying low, according to flight records.
White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He said the U.S. Coast Guard has not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels.
"We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus," Kirby said, echoing statements from the Pentagon and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. "If information comes to light, that changes that characterization, then, my goodness, you know, we'll be the first ones to let you know."
The drones appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security.
The FBI has been investigating and has asked residents to share any videos, photos or other information about the drones. On Wednesday, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said they are not U.S. military drones.
The number of sightings has increased in recent days, though officials say many of the objects seen may have been planes rather than drones. It's also possible that a single drone has been reported more than once.
The worry stems partly from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility; and over President-elect Donald Trump's golf course in Bedminster.
Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use but are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified.
Most, but not all, of the drones spotted in New Jersey were larger than those typically used by hobbyists.
Drone expert Mike Innella told Eyewitness News the drones are highly advanced -- much more than the small, three-pound commercial drone his company would use.
"Have the capability of going longer distance, being there longer, being able to keep up with the weather conditions, it's something that is not your little RadioShack drone," Inella said.
He also says it would be a bad idea to try and shoot down the drones.
"I would more try to find or identify where they are coming from. But you don't want to shoot these kind of drones down. They are way too big," Innella said.
New Jersey Assemblyman Brian Bergen said Gov. Phil Murphy should consider using the National Guard to track or interfere with the drones.
"Let's get some Army pilots up there who know what they're doing and track these things to where that they land," Bergen said.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said he was frustrated by the lack of transparency, saying it could help spread fear or misinformation.
"We should know what's going on over our skies," he said Thursday.
Fantasia, a Morris County Republican, was among several lawmakers who met with state police and Homeland Security officials to discuss the spate of sightings that range from the New York City area through New Jersey and westward into parts of Pennsylvania, including over Philadelphia. It is unknown at this time whether the sightings are related.
Two Republican Jersey Shore-area congressmen, U.S. Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, have also called on the military to shoot down the drones.
Smith said a U.S. Coast Guard commanding officer briefed him on an incident over the weekend in which a dozen drones followed a motorized Coast Guard lifeboat "in close pursuit" near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County.
Coast Guard Lt. Luke Pinneo on Wednesday told The Associated Press "that multiple low-altitude aircraft were observed in the vicinity of one of our vessels near Island Beach State Park."
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