Concern grows over mysterious drone sightings along US east coast

Open the White House Watch newsletter for free

Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world

Multiple sightings of aerial objects after sunset have sparked concern along the US East Coast and widespread anger that the federal government is not taking the problem seriously.

Authorities in New Jersey have been inundated with reports since last month drones in the night sky, sometimes in groups and without any apparent purpose, above the country’s most densely populated state.

The officials tried to calm the public, but did not give any explanation for the phenomena.

“We have no evidence at this time that the drone sightings are a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign connection,” the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. said this week.

The assurances do little to allay fears about the flying machines, whose owners and home base remain a mystery.

“Frankly, it’s pretty disturbing for our officials to believe that they don’t know what’s going on. We could launch a missile 5,000 miles away, but we can’t tell where the drones are coming from.” is James Dodd, the mayor of Dover, New Jersey.

Dover is across from Picatinny Arsenal, a US military installation.The Federal Aviation Administration imposed temporary flight restrictions over the site last month, citing “special security concerns.” Similar restrictions were announced this month at President-elect Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. for the neighborhood.

No such restrictions have been imposed elsewhere in the state, even when drones are seen.

Dodd was among the New Jersey mayors invited to a briefing by the New Jersey State Police this week, and said he left disappointed with what he described as a lack of information on a serious issue.

He posted a question-and-answer document he received from the Department of Homeland Security on his city’s website.

Reports of drones flying over the Eastern Shore Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wrote on social media that he witnessed “dozens of large drones in the sky” over his home for about 45 minutes Thursday night.

“Like many who have watched these drones, I don’t know if this increased activity in our skies is a threat to public safety or national security. But the public is increasingly concerned and frustrated by the total lack of transparency and the contempt the federal government is taking,” he wrote. is Hogan. He posted a video of what he says is the plane.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that the state is investigating drone sightings in her state in cooperation with federal authorities.

Federal regulations place few restrictions on the use of civilian drones, said Mary-Lou Smulders, chief marketing officer of Dedrone, a company that helps public safety agencies detect drones. Violations include flying too close to airports and sensitive locations flying such as nuclear power plants and exceeding 400 feet.

Even then, the rules are routinely ignored. Dedrone’s sensors have recorded more than 1.1 million violations this year.

State and local police don’t have the authority to intercept drones, Smulders said.That authority is only given to four federal agencies in certain circumstances, making it difficult to crack down on violators.

Federal authorities have said they haven’t discovered any malicious activity in New Jersey. “It’s probably some people who think it’s funny that they’re able to create this monster,” Smulders speculated . . . would it aim to fly at night? Not much.’

The FBI questioned whether most of the sightings were drones at all. “To the contrary, upon review of the available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft operating legally,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

New Jersey, located between New York and Philadelphia, contains the busiest airspace in North America.

Unresolved concerns have led to increasingly urgent calls for action. This week, Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey suggested that the flights were coming from an “Iranian drone” in the Atlantic Ocean.

Trump weighed in on Friday. installation on his social media platform that the government should get closer or shoot the plane down.

US officials have said they do not believe the drone activity is linked to any foreign actor or adversary. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that no Iranian ships are launching drones toward the United States.

Additional reporting by Felicia Schwartz in Washington