According to the White House, there is currently no proof that the alleged drone sightings represent a threat to public safety or national security.
A US lawmaker has demanded that enigmatic drones that have been seen flying at night over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other Mid-Atlantic states be “shot down, if necessary,” despite the fact that the owner of the unmanned aircraft is still unknown.
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut stated on Thursday that “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,” as worries about the drones grew on Capitol Hill.
The Biden administration needs to be more transparent, he said, adding that many in the New York area are worried that the drones would be sharing airspace with commercial airlines.
A examination of the reported sightings reveals that many of them are indeed manned aircraft being flown legally, the White House stated Thursday.
According to White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby, no sightings in any restricted airspace have been recorded. According to him, there has been no evidence of foreign involvement from coastal vessels by the US Coast Guard.
Reiterating remarks from the Pentagon and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Kirby stated, “At this time, we have no evidence that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus.”
They are not US military drones, according to Pentagon spokesman Sabrina Singh.
Unreliable sightings?
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security jointly released a statement Thursday afternoon stating that they and their federal partners, working closely with the New Jersey State Police, “continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.”
Although authorities claim many of the objects sighted may have been planes rather than drones, the number of sightings has increased in recent days.
Additionally, a single drone may have been reported more than once.
The flying objects were first seen over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf property in Bedminster and close to the Picatinny Arsenal, a US military research and manufacturing site. This is part of the reason for the concern.
The mayor of Middletown, New Jersey, Tony Perry, told CNN on Thursday that around 40 drones have been sighted over his town in the last week or two. The drones, according to him, are “SUV-sized” and can reach speeds of up to 60 or 70 miles per hour.
“I’m not sure how anyone can just sit there and say that there’s no imminent threat,” stated Perry.
“I don’t think the federal government has taken it seriously to date,” said Perry.
Although they are subject to municipal and Federal Aviation Administration laws and flight limits, drones are permitted for both commercial and recreational usage in New Jersey. FAA certification is required for operators.
The majority, though not all, of the drones seen in New Jersey seemed to be bigger than the ones that enthusiasts usually use.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker expressed his frustration with the lack of transparency, claiming it might contribute to the spread of false information and panic.
He stated on Thursday that “we should know what’s going on over our skies.”
