The FBI and Department of Homeland Security say many of the drones reportedly sighted in New Jersey since November are actually “manned aircraft being misidentified as drones.”
On Saturday, Dec. 14, a DHS official said authorities “have not identified any basis for believing that there’s any criminal activity involved, that there’s any national security threat, that there’s any particular public safety threat or that there’s a malicious foreign actor involved in these drones,” according to CNBC, Newsweek and The Guardian.
The FBI is investigating hundreds of reports of drones operating at night since last month, CNBC reported.
It’s the latest assurance after the agencies said in a joint news release, published Thursday, Dec. 12, that many of the seemingly mysterious aircrafts are being “operated lawfully,” and that there currently “are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space. ”
Law enforcement has not uncovered any “malicious activity or intent” in connection with the sightings, they added.
“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,” the agencies stated.
They later added that the sightings have helped “highlight the insufficiency of current authorities,” but did not elaborate.
Drone flying.
Getty
Along with New Jersey, drone sightings have been reported in several other states, including New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and California.
Previously, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy previously said that he had spoken with various authorities regarding the drone sightings, which had been reported by multiple residents in the area.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter,” Murphy wrote in a statement on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Days later, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, New Jersey State Sen. Jon Bramnick called for a “limited state of emergency” in the state “until the public receives an explanation regarding these multiple sightings.”
However, in a statement released on Thursday, Dec. 13, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security said that they had “no evidence” that the reported sightings posed a “national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
They went on to say that as the investigation continues, the agencies were also looking to “confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.”
“Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities…upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully,” they added. “There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace.”
Reports of the unidentified drones had been plaguing central New Jersey since November, with some residents describing the activity as “menacing” and “creepy.”
Following the initial string of reported drone sightings, Gov. Murphy said “there is no known threat to the public at this time.”
However, the drone activity raised additional concerns due to the drones’ proximity to a military installation and President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course, ABC News reported.
