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After weeks of fear and bewilderment about the drones buzzing over parts of New York and New Jersey, elected officials are urging action to identify and stop the mysterious flights.
“There’s a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“‘We don’t know’ is not a good enough answer,” he said.
National security officials have said the drones don’t appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a public safety threat. But because they can’t say with certainty who is responsible for the sudden swarms of drones over parts of New Jersey, New York, and other eastern parts of the U.S. — or how they can be stopped — leaders of both political parties are demanding better technology and powers to deal with the drones.
Sen. Chuck Schumer called Sunday for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to deploy better drone-tracking technology to identify the drones and their operators.
“New Yorkers have tremendous questions about it,” Schumer, the Senate majority leader, told reporters about the drone sightings. “We are going to get the answers for them.”
The federal government did little to answer those questions in its own media briefings Sunday morning. “There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “But I want to assure the American public that we are on it. We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities.”
Some of the drones reported above pin arts of New York and New Jersey have turned out to be “manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones,” Mayorkas said. “We know of no foreign involvement concerning the sightings in the Northeast. And we are vigilant in investigating this matter.”
Last year, federal aviation rules began requiring certain drones to broadcast their remote identification, including the location of their operators. It’s not clear whether that information has been used to determine who is behind the drones plaguing locations over New York and New Jersey. Mayorkas’ office didn’t respond to questions about whether they’ve been able to identify drones using this capability.
Schumer wants the federal government to use a recently declassified radio wave technology in New York and New Jersey. The radio wave detector can be attached to a drone or airplane and can determine whether another flying object is a bird or a drone, read its electronic registration, and follow it back to its landing place. Schumer said state and local authorities do not have the authority to track drones.
On Sunday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said federal officials were sending a drone detection system to the state.
“This system will support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations,” Hochul said in a statement. The governor did not immediately provide additional details, including where the system will be deployed.
Dozens of mysterious nighttime flights started last month over parts of New Jersey, raising concerns among residents and officials. Part of the worry stems 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 they are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified.
Drones are now being reported all along the northern East Coast, with suspicious sightings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, according to news reports.
Some U.S. political leaders, including Trump, have called for much stronger action against the drones, including shooting them down.
Certain agencies within the Department of Homeland Security have the power to “incapacitate” drones, Mayorkas said Sunday. “But we need those authorities expanded,” he said.
A bill before the U.S. Senate would enhance some federal agencies’ authority and give new abilities to local and state agencies to track drones. It would also start a pilot program allowing states and local authorities to disrupt, disable, or seize a drone without prior consent of the operator.
“What the drone issue points out are gaps in our agencies, gaps in our authorities between the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement, the Defense Department,” Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., Trump’s pick to be his national security adviser, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Americans are finding it hard to believe we can’t figure out where these are coming from.’’
After U.S. military officials reported they’re unsure who is behind the increasing number of drones reported in the skies above New York and New Jersey, Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sunday called for new technology to help local officials “determine what the heck is going on.”
The Senate majority leader advocated for the Department of Homeland Security to deploy a special drone-detection technology called “Robin” in local airspace, which is also used to track the movement of birds.
“Our local people who have questions about these drones should not have to shake an 8-ball for an answer,” he said during a news conference.
Schumer’s demand came two days after New York’s Stewart Airport was temporarily shut down due to drone activity, prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul to call for action from the federal government.
Federal officials announced Sunday they would deploy a new drone detection system in New York after calls from Hochul for more resources.
U.S. Defense Department officials wrote in a press release on Saturday they’ve confirmed drone sightings above New Jersey’s Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle. Drones have also been reported recently above President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey.
“We have no intelligence or observations that would indicate that they were aligned with a foreign actor or that they had malicious intent," the release said, while also noting the military has “not been able to locate or identify the operators or the points of origin."
The Defense Department release also claimed the military is “prohibited from conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the United States which might be used to determine the origins of who might be flying the drones.”
But Schumer said he wants to deploy technology that helps give local governments answers.
He said state and local leaders currently do not have the authority to use drone detection systems like the one he's calling for, and said he plans to co-sponsor a bill in Congress that would extend drone detection privileges to local officials.
A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey and the East Coast in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey and posted about it on X.
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.
The FBI is among several agencies investigating and has asked residents to share videos, photos, and other information they may have about the drones.
What’s the deal with the drones in New Jersey?
Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing them in the state starting in November.
At first, they were spotted flying along the scenic Raritan River, which feeds the Round Valley Reservoir, the state’s largest aquifer, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of New York City.
But soon sightings were reported statewide, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.
The aircraft has also recently been spotted in coastal areas.
Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Smith said a Coast Guard commanding officer told him a dozen drones closely followed a Guard lifeboat near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County over the weekend.
Federal officials offer assurances that drones don’t 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.
In a call with reporters Saturday that was organized by the White House, senior officials from the FBI, Pentagon, FAA, and other agencies sought to assure people that the drones are not a national security or public safety threat or the handiwork of a malicious foreign actor.
An FBI official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said the public concern is understandable but added, “I think there has been a slight overreaction.”
Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday that the military’s initial assessment after consulting with the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council — that the drones are not of foreign origin — remained unchanged.
New Jersey congressman wants the military to take action
A New Jersey congressman has urged the Pentagon to authorize the use of force to bring down one or more drones to try to figure out who deployed them.
The objects could be downed over the ocean or in an unpopulated area on land, Smith said Saturday at a news conference.
“Why can’t we bag at least one of these drones and get to the bottom of it?” Smith said.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, another Republican Jersey Shore-area congressman, has also called for the military to shoot down the drones.
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said people should not take it into their own hands to shoot down drones, which would break state and federal laws.
Drones have been spotted over New York City
Drone sightings have now been reported in New York, where a permit is required, and Mayor Eric Adams said the city was investigating and collaborating with New Jersey and federal officials.
The runways at Stewart International Airport — about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of the city — were shut down for about one hour Friday night because of drone activity in the airspace, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
“This has gone too far,” she said in a statement.
The governor called on Congress to strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and give more investigative authority to state and local law enforcement.
“Extending these powers to New York State and our peers is essential,” she said. “Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people.”
Are these drones dangerous?
The White House has said that a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully, echoing the opinion of officials and drone experts.
The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who was briefed by the Department of Homeland Security, said the reported drones have been up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter and sometimes travel with their lights switched off. This is much larger than those typically flown by drone hobbyists, and she said they appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopters and radio.
Who sent the drones?
Authorities say they do not know.
The FBI, Homeland Security and state police are investigating the sightings. Authorities say they don’t know if it is one drone that has been spotted many times or if there are multiple aircraft being flown in a coordinated effort.
Speculation has raged online, with some expressing concerns that the drone or drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents.
Officials stress that ongoing state and federal investigations have found no evidence to support those concerns, but Rep. Smith on Saturday echoed such speculation.
“The elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests a major military power sophistication that begs the question of whether they have been deployed to test our defense capabilities — or worse — by violent dictatorships, perhaps maybe Russia, or China, or Iran, or North Korea,” he said.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that the aircraft are not U.S. military drones.
What have officials said about the sightings?
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 his social media site.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Thursday that the drones should be “shot down, if necessary.”
“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,” Blumenthal said.
Experts, however, warn not to shoot at anything in the sky.
Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings, and said she doesn’t believe the assertion that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety.
“How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.”
Are drones allowed in New Jersey?
The flying of drones for recreational and commercial use is legal in the state, but it is subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions.
In New York City, a permit is required to take off or land an unmanned aircraft.
Operators must be FAA-certified.
Have drones been spotted anywhere else?
Sightings also have been reported in Virginia and elsewhere.
Two people said they spotted an aircraft Thursday night near Virginia Beach that was unlike any other they’ve seen.
The object was over the ocean, and they watched as it slowly moved over an Army National Guard facility, John Knight told The Virginian-Pilot.
“It was definitely different,” said Knight, who took videos of what he thinks was a drone the size of a small truck.
“It flew like a helicopter but made no noise,” he added.
The Virginia National Guard did not have any aircraft operating in the area Thursday night, according to spokesperson A.A. “Cotton” Puryear. Its leadership is aware of the incident and it’s under investigation.
Another military installation in the area is Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex. NAS Oceana, the East Coast master jet base in Virginia Beach, is aware of recent reports of sightings in the area and is coordinating with federal and state agencies to ensure the safety of its personnel and operations, Katie Hewett, public affairs officer, said Friday by email.
Knight submitted the videos Thursday night to the FBI tip line.
In Massachusetts, 10 to 15 drones were reported hovering over a home Thursday night in Harwich on Cape Cod. A resident told police they were bright and she observed them for more than an hour.
Earlier that evening, an off-duty police officer in the same town noticed similar activity near a public safety complex, police said. The information was forwarded to the FBI and Massachusetts State Police.
Drones were also spotted last month in the U.K. The U.S. Air Force said several small unmanned aircraft were detected near four military bases in England that are used by American forces.
A few days after federal officials appeared to downplay widespread reports of mysterious night-time drone sightings in New Jersey, a member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet clarified Sunday that people are indeed seeing drones in the skies over the Garden State.
Well, at least some of those objects are drones, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.
“There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” Mayorkas said during a television interview on ABC’s “This Week.“
He added that the U.S. government is taking action on the matter.
“I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, and technology to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings,” Mayorkas said.
For weeks, officials have been inundated with reports of people seeing drones flying in the night sky across parts of New Jersey. There have also been similar reports in neighboring Northeastern states.
A top FBI official said during a congressional hearing Tuesday that federal investigators have received more than 3,000 reports of alleged drones in New Jersey this month. Officials say they don’t believe residents are in danger, but they don’t know what the objects are or where they’ve come from, sparking mass speculation, concern, and frustration among residents and local leaders.
Then, on Thursday, federal government agencies cast some doubt on the rash of sightings. John Kirby, national security spokesman for Biden’s administration, said at a press briefing it appeared “many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully” — such as ordinary planes or helicopters. The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security put out similar statements that day.
Several New Jersey officials were stunned, suggesting the U.S. government is telling people they‘re simply seeing things. State Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Union, who is running for governor, said: “Bigfoot might be a myth, but the drones in New Jersey are very real. The response from the Department of Defense and the White House is unacceptable.”
In his interview Sunday morning on ABC, Mayorkas was asked to clarify any confusion.
“Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones,” the Homeland Security chief said. “Some are manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones. And we do see duplicative reporting. But there’s no question that drones are being sighted.”
Mayorkas added there are thousands of drones flown every day in the U.S., including recreational and commercial drones, and that the Federal Aviation Administration changed rules in 2023 so drones could fly at night. That, he said, could explain some of this.
“But I want to assure the American public that we are on it,” he said.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, during a briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)AP
Mayorkas also called on Congress to expand local and state authority to help address the issue.
“Our authorities currently are limited and they are set to expire,” he said. “We need them extended and expanded.”
“We want state and local authorities to also have the ability to counter growing activity under federal supervision.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday it’s “frustrating to have no answers“ and the state needs more help from the federal government.
Meanwhile, Mayorkas said his agency knows “of no foreign involvement” related to the sightings.
“We are vigilant in investigating this matter,” he added.
Also during Sunday’s show, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he and his wife saw drones above their Mendham Township home two days ago.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before and I’ve been living at that house for 30 years,” said Christie, now an ABC News contributor.
“I can’t tell you the number of people that have come up to me concerned about it,” he added. “To say this is not an unusual activity, it’s just wrong.”
“When people see this kind of activity, it’s a newish technology to most people, and they’re worried about it and concerned. It’s a lack of communication from the government at the federal and state level that’s at fault here.”
Look, up in the sky. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s — who knows what…
WTOP has been reporting on the sky sightings that have been taking place in New Jersey and now the DMV. The story has made national news. Even a local politician posted a video which I can tell you with 100% certainty is the constellation of Orion, the planet Jupiter and the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius.
People who are not familiar with the night sky and start looking up because of the ongoing “Drone Flap” — my term for what is going on — will see objects in the sky, some quite bright, that they aren’t familiar with. To them it is unidentified.
Whatever we see in the sky comes down to most likely being from one or more of the following categories:
- Astronomical — stars, bright planets, aurora, noctilucent clouds; meteors, fireballs, satellites (especially strings of Starlink satellites moving silently across the sky), comets, rocket launches, de-orbiting space junk or reentering spacecraft;
- Aeronautical — aircraft of any type, contrails, drones;
- Meteorological — weather phenomena;
- Wildlife — Birds or other flying wildlife, including insects;
- Geological — volcanic events, gaseous emissions;
- Unknown — It cannot be identified.
When I was growing up in Southern California in the 1960s, the Nation had “UFO Flaps” which are a concentrated sighting of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) in a particular area over a period of time.
D.C. had a very famous UFO Flap that took place in the nation’s capital in the 1950s.
In the 21st century, UFOs have now morphed into UAPs — Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena — which NASA and the DoD are actively investigating.
With this current “Drone Flap,” we have been conditioned by the Chinese balloon overflights of our airspace and social media sprouting associated conspiracy theories and/or misinformation.
Personally, from the footage I have seen broadcast, there is little doubt these are, in fact, drones. As to their purpose, I have no idea. But one point I would like to share with you is that the drones imaged have been clearly illuminated so that they are plainly visible.
I have had friends contact me for my input as they have been concerned by these drones and, in one case, actually seeing them in their New Jersey neighborhood.
We are conditioned to want answers in an instant and get those answers on the internet. I would suggest that our collective patience and careful checking of our sources of information will ultimately lead to answers.