Drones are the word in New Jersey, and now also in every state asking, and the FBI, too. So. What’s up about the drones?
These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have been sighted over the Meadowlands and across just about all 21 counties in the Garden State. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy sent a letter to the White House and President Joe Biden about his concerns over the supposed drones (or otherwise flying objects — no one really can say for sure).
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said on Friday the state is coordinating with the FBI and Homeland Security.
Aside from surveillance, delivery, and journalism (we see you — just kidding — we have zero drones here at Meadowlands Media), UAVs are used for search and rescue, disaster response, asset protection, wildlife monitoring, firefighting, healthcare, and agriculture. Whew!
Seen across the New York metropolitan area to Pennsylvania, the drone sightings have caused state and federal politicians and public safety officials to scratch their heads and go deep about the origin. The FBI, Homeland Security, and the White House have weighed in as well.
The latest on Friday, Dec. 13? It’s apparently “nothing” and “not drones,” the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, further adding there is no evidence of any threat to the public.
In addition to stressing there’s no known threat to public safety or national security, they said there’s no evidence of any drones flying over restricted airspace.
All drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) must be registered with the FAA. And then there are all kinds of weird regulations, like: Federal law requires all drones operated under 14 CFR Part 107 to be registered. There are 28 pages of Frequently Asked Questions on the FAA.gov website regarding how drone operators should operate.
Large drones spotted across the state in recent weeks have evaded traditional detection methods, according to the DHS. The drones were described as up to six feet in diameter and often operating with their lights off, said Rep. Dawn Fantasia (R-24).
White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby advised the public on Thursday, Dec. 12, that there was no threat to public safety regarding the drones in New Jersey.
The FBI, DHS, and other federal and state agencies “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,” the FBI and DHS said.
“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.
Officials from the FBI, DHS, and the White House, have said that many of the flying objects in the night sky were nothing more than ordinary planes or helicopters — not drones.
Kirby said images and videos that authorities and state and local law enforcement have reviewed appear to show that many of “the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.”
The drone sightings are the subject of “an active federal investigation” led by the FBI, according to a document from the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and U.S. senators Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) sent a letter Thursday to the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Federal Aviation Administration requesting a full briefing on the situation.
Murphy said he is pressing the federal government for more answers.
The drones were first spotted on Nov. 18 and have been reported seen since that date. There are no answers regarding who is operating the drones, and local and state officials in New Jersey, the FBI, DHS and the FAA are all investigating.
Hackensack and Teaneck police department issued advisories advising there is no known threat, but also asking residents to report any suspicious drone activity to the FBI.
New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2) accused the Federal Government of hiding the truth about the drones over New Jersey and maintained the mysterious objects could be from an unknown mothership or from China.
“Could it be China? Absolutely. Could it be somebody else? It sure could,” Van Drew told Fox News on Thursday.
“We are not being told the truth,” Van Drew said, adding that the Pentagon is “dealing with the American public like we’re stupid.”
