Lawmakers who left a classified briefing with US intelligence officials insisted they were assured there was nothing “unsavory” going on with the recent surge in drone observations in New Jersey.
On Tuesday, American officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department privately briefed members of the House Intelligence Committee in an effort to ease growing fears over sightings of unmanned aircraft systems and new calls for federal action.
“There is no evidence that anyone acted illegally here or that any of these drones, as far as the authorities know anything about them, are associated with anyone with nefarious intent,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., ranking member of the committee, told reporters after the briefing.
“I don’t think we have any reason to believe they’re withholding information. And, again, we asked an extraordinarily detailed series of questions to 28 people over a three-hour period.”
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Photos taken in the Bay Shore section of Toms River show what appear to be large drones hovering in the area at high altitude in New Jersey on December 8, 2024. (Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)
But the increase in alleged drone sightings along East Coast has touched off panicked demands for an investigation from residents and state lawmakers. The FBI has received more than 6,000 tips from the public about mysterious drone sightings.
One theory can definitely be ruled out, according to Himes. The drones are not the work of a classified government operation, he said.
“We asked this question over and over and over,” he said, “they are not (connected to the US government). We were sure.”
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder emphasized to reporters that the drones seen along the east coast are not a DOD asset.
Instead, the running theory among US officials seems to be that there is no cause behind the phenomenon, and many of the sightings called in by law enforcement are airplanes, helicopters or hobbyist drones operating legally.
“There is no obvious threat from any location. These are just traditional aircraft, drones, stars, private aircraft – all the things that are usually in our skies,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.
Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican and outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s response to the drones, told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday that he plans to introduce legislation as early as this week that would allow state police to better deal with the drone threat . , including tracking the unmanned aircraft and, if necessary, taking them down.
But Smith said Tuesday that he sees the bill as a “very real extension of a capability that is needed right now” in the U.S. defense space.
“There’s more vulnerability here that everyone wants to accept, but we have to take action — decisive action,” Smith said.
Rope. Chris Smith, RN.J., reacts to the mysterious drone sightings. (Getty | Fox News)
On Friday, state agencies will lose their counter-drone authority without an FAA reauthorization from Congress. An extension of that authority is expected to be included in spending legislation to keep the government open, but security-minded lawmakers are pushing for more sweeping reforms to give state and local law enforcement the power to intercept and identify drones and equip them with radar detection capabilities.
“We’ve had a lot of responses. Frankly, the technology of the drones has outstripped the law,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. “We need to work in a bipartisan way to close some of the loopholes in the law regarding who can operate drones in what manner and how to disable or deal with drones in inappropriate airspace.”
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On Monday, DHS, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon issued a joint statement noting that while they “acknowledge the concerns” of the public, there is no evidence that the drones are “anomalous” or a threat to national security.
The drone complaints began pouring in last month in New Jersey, where witnesses and residents first began reporting drone sightings outside coastal areas, including off Cape May, a scenic town about 50 miles south of Atlantic City along the Jersey Shore.
More recently, lawmakers in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maryland have reported new drone sightings in their home states, with some witnesses claiming the aircraft in question have been “the size of cars” or seen flying above sensitive infrastructure or in limited airspace.
New Jersey State Assemblyman Paul Kanitra took a photo of what appears to be several drones hovering in the New Jersey sky on December 13. (Paul Kanitra/”Fox News @ Night”)
Krishnamoorthi insisted he was “satisfied” with the responses he received from the briefing but that the government must do more to ease public concerns.
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“The public needs to see for themselves what these government officials have come up with and what technology has been used.”
