TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A U.S. senator has urged the authorities to take decisive action regarding unidentified drones that have been spotted flying overhead at night in sensitive regions of New Jersey and other areas in the Mid-Atlantic. Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut expressed his concerns on Thursday, suggesting that these drones should be “shot down, if necessary” while the ownership of these unmanned aircraft remains uncertain.
Blumenthal emphasized the need for urgent intelligence evaluations, especially when these drones are seen in proximity to airports or military installations. The senator also raised alarms regarding the potential for these drones to interfere with commercial flight paths in the New York region, calling for increased transparency from the Biden administration concerning the matter.
In response to rising anxieties, the White House stated on Thursday that an evaluation of the reported drone sightings indicated that many were, in fact, manned aircraft operating legally. National Security spokesman John Kirby remarked that there were no indications of drones flying in restricted airspace, and he noted that the Coast Guard had found no foreign involvement linked to coastal operations. Kirby asserted, “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,” aligning with similar comments from the Pentagon and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that the drones in question are not affiliated with the U.S. military. Meanwhile, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a collaborative statement highlighting their continuous efforts to investigate the situation along with New Jersey State Police, aiming to determine whether the observed flights can be accurately identified as drones or if they were simply misidentified aircraft.
As per their findings, the investigation has yet to validate any of the reported sightings through electronic detection methods. Reviews of collected images suggest that a significant number of the so-called drones are likely to be piloted planes. “There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space,” the joint statement clarified. However, it has been noted that these unidentified flying objects seem to evade detection from standard monitoring techniques, including those used by helicopters and in radio communications, as mentioned by a state lawmaker who received a briefing from Homeland Security officials.
Despite an uptick in reported sightings lately, authorities believe that many of these observations may actually pertain to aircraft rather than drones. It is plausible that an individual drone has been cited multiple times. The initial concerns regarding the drones were heightened due to their sightings near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing site, as well as above a golf club owned by President-elect Donald Trump in Bedminster.
Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia shared her observations on social media, describing the drones as approximately 6 feet (1.8 meters) wide and occasionally flying without their lights on. Drones are permitted in New Jersey for both recreational and commercial purposes, provided operators comply with local regulations and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements. Most drones noticed in New Jersey appeared larger than those commonly used for recreational purposes.
Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey expressed his frustration over the lack of clarity surrounding the situation, as such ambiguity could lead to public anxiety and misinformation. “We should know what’s going on over our skies,” he stated on Thursday.
John Duesler, president of the Pennsylvania Drone Association, added that public confusion about the identities of these flying objects, particularly during night hours, is a common issue, making it difficult to judge the size and proximity of these drones. “While there are sizable drones, such as those used for agriculture, they typically are not found flying in urban or suburban areas,” he explained. Duesler concluded that the drones and their operators should leave detectable signals, allowing investigators to determine their origin and path.
Fantasia, a Republican from Morris County, was one of several lawmakers who conferred with officials from state police and Homeland Security about the drone sightings, which span from the New York City area through New Jersey and into parts of Pennsylvania, including over Philadelphia. It remains unclear whether or not these sightings are interconnected.
Duesler mentioned that the public is eager for more information regarding this issue. “I hope that government agencies will be forthcoming with details to alleviate our concerns. However, this could be a case of rogue drone operators rather than an ‘invasion’ as some have suggested,” he said. “I am concerned but not alarmed.”
