Following a two-hour classified briefing on recent drone sightings in the Northeast, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said the sightings do not currently pose an imminent threat to public safety and emphasized the importance of transparency.
A member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Gottheimer assured constituents that that he urges federal agencies to brief the public directly.
“There is no reason to keep the public, especially families in New Jersey, in the dark about what they are seeing in the air,” said Gottheimer. “People shouldn’t have to deal with the stress of not having the information they deserve.”
In light of these sightings, Gottheimer noted that federal authorities have deployed drone-monitoring equipment to New Jersey. He has called for an expansion of these resources to cover more of the state and advocated for permanent monitoring equipment to be provided to local and state law enforcement.
“Ultimately, we must also equip local and state law enforcement with permanent monitoring equipment so that they can track and respond to unwelcome and unauthorized drones,” he said.
“We must be prepared to track drone activity and stop unauthorized drones, especially over military bases, reservoirs, critical infrastructure, airports, and homes,” Gottheimer added.
Gottheimer pledged to continue working with law enforcement and the intelligence community to develop legislation aimed at bolstering national security and protecting the public from potential drone threats.
The congressman’s comments come amid heightened attention to unexplained aerial activity across the region and federal investigations. Alleged drone interruptions over Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio reportedly forced the closure of its airspace for several hours. In Utah, drones were reported spotted near Hill Air Force Base.
Overall Drone Sightings
According to a statement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security, there have been more than 5,000 sightings reported on the East Coast states in recent weeks.
On the West Coast, residents of Coachella Valley and Venice Beach in California reported seeing unexplained drones Sunday (Dec. 15). Camp Pendleton, 40 miles north of San Diego, saw at least six drone incursions over its airspace, per news reports. President Joe Biden dismissed conspiracy theories surrounding the rash of drone sightings.
National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said federal officials have worked with local and state law enforcement to examine more than 5,000 examples of possible drone sightings, and they’ve determined some aircraft are manned, while others are unmanned.
“Nothing nefarious, apparently,” Biden told reporters. “We’re following it closely. So far no sense of danger.”
Preliminary investigations indicate the sightings appear to include legal commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones, as well as airplanes, helicopters and stars, all mistakenly reported as drones.