The New Jersey Drone Mystery May Not Actually Be That Mysterious

Across New Jersey, report Mysterious drone sightings The incident has continued to rise for weeks, with people contacting authorities and posting on social media about the aircraft behaving strangely, especially at night. The reports also circulated in New York City, with sightings reported in Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. The Federal Aviation Administration this week imposed a temporary ban in New Jersey, banning drones from flying over the Army’s Wharton School’s Picatinny Arsenal and a golf course owned by President-elect Trump in Bedminster. While the mystery is gaining traction, there is virtually no information on whether these sightings are related or represent anything unusual.

Vague, noncommittal statements from state and federal authorities only complicate matters and fuel public conspiracy. However, on Thursday, a joint statement from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security emphasized that ongoing investigations at the state and federal levels have found no evidence of foreign involvement or threats of any kind. Department of Defense came to the same conclusion at a news conference Wednesday. Additionally, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security added that none of the sightings were confirmed to be drones.

“We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with a variety of testing methods, but have not yet confirmed any reported sightings through electronic testing,” U.S. authorities explain in a statement. “Instead, based on review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are in fact manned aircraft and operating lawfully. There have been no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace.

Multiple federal agencies have been working with New Jersey State Police on the investigation, but the FBI and Department of Homeland Security noted in a statement that “while no known malicious activity occurred in New Jersey, the reported sightings do highlight the The lack of “current authorities” appears to refer to weeks of uncertainty over which agency would be responsible for providing a public explanation for the sightings.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said: “Today, I spoke with White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall to discuss my response to the federal government’s recent drone sightings in New Jersey. worries. wrote in a social media post on Thursday. “I will continue to pressure the federal government, including the FBI, to provide answers on behalf of the public.”

Other politicians, including Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim of New Jersey, A letter was sent Thursday to the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration asking for more transparency and briefings on the investigation.