Officials Downplay Nj Drone Concerns As Online Suspicion Builds

Government officials are continuing to downplay any potential threats posed by mysterious aircraft dotting the New Jersey sky in recent weeks amid growing social media concern and speculation.

Agencies investigating the string of aircraft sightings reiterated in a call with reporters on Saturday that while they still don’t know where the craft came from, they have no reason to believe at this point that they pose any national security or public safety threat, or that they are operated by foreign actors. Instead, officials seemed to brush off the sightings as evidence of reckless — but legal — aircraft usage.

New Jersey residents began reporting drone sightings in the sky beginning in mid-November, spooking residents and prompting calls — including from President-elect Donald Trump — to shoot them down. It is legal in many locations in U.S. airspace to fly drones under 400 feet. And since November, unidentified aircraft sightings have also been reported in New York and Maryland.

Lawmakers have demanded answers from federal agencies about the aircraft sightings as suspicions build around their origins, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s investigations panel, requesting a briefing on the drone reports from the heads of the Federal Aviation Administration, FBI, DHS and Defense Department on Friday. Others have put forth their own theories, with New Jersey Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew on Wednesday suggesting drones may be coming from an Iranian “mothership” off the coast. The Pentagon flatly dismissed that claim.

But many reports of drone sightings are actually manned aircraft misidentified as unmanned drones, a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security said, reiterating a previous statement from the agency on Thursday. While agencies including DHS, FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to investigate the aircraft appearances, spokespeople said the process has highlighted the legal limitations in counter-drone authority given to the federal agencies.

Oriana Pawlyk contributed to this report.