Weeks of nightly so-called drone sightings in parts of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania with no definitive answers from the government on what the objects are, who is controlling them and why have caused anxiety in the Northeast.
The sightings began around late November.
New Jersey officials revealed information from a briefing with state police and Homeland Security officials. State assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia posted her notes on X, formerly Twitter, and Pequannock Township Mayor Ryan Herd spoke to ABC News.
The objects are not from the U.S. military or any high-tech company such as Google or Amazon, they shared. They are up to six feet in diameter, operate in a coordinated manner and operate without light.
They appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopters and radio frequencies. Authorities do not know where the objects take off or land nor who is behind them. The objects are capable of extended periods of flight over large distances, raising questions about their technology and intent.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a joint statement on Dec. 12 on the drone reports.
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” the statement says.
The FBI, DHS and other federal agencies, along with the New Jersey State Police, are still investigating the situation to confirm whether the objects are actually drones or are manned aircraft.
“We take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports.
To be clear, they have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage. While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities,” the statement concludes.
John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor, insisted to reporters during a briefing that “there has been no evidence of any of this activity in or near restricted spaces.”
A previous statement by the Florham Park Police Department and Office of Emergency Management, posted on Facebook on Dec. 4, suggested the opposite.
“Several drone sightings have been reported above critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments and military installations,” the department’s police chief, Joseph Orlando, wrote.
New York Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New Jersey Senator Andy Kim echoed the statement.
They sent a letter on Dec. 12 to the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting a briefing on how the agencies are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of the flying objects.
The senators voiced public safety concerns, “especially given recent reports that a medevac helicopter was prevented from transporting a seriously injured patient for care because of the presence of these drones,” and they called for a “comprehensive response from Congress and the executive branch.”
After further questioning by reporters, Mr. Kirby admitted at the White House briefing, “We’re concerned about it, too.”
“We’re taking it seriously. We understand that people are concerned. We understand that they got questions. We got questions, too, and we’re working hard to get the answers to that,” he said. “I cannot characterize for you definitively what these sightings are.”
The Final Call will continue to follow this story.
