Suspected drones streak across the nighttime sky in New Jersey. (Courtesy of CNBC)
New Jersey’s drone mystery has yet to be solved, but it does appear that an Iranian ship is not the source of all the commotion that has rattled the state for the past month.
Earlier this week, South Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew maintained that an Iranian “mothership” anchored somewhere off the East Coast was the likely culprit. However, on Friday, he backed away from those claims after new evidence came to light.
Van Drew issued a statement disclosing that the latest satellite imagery shows that Iran’s three drone ships are stationed off the southern coast of Iran, not the U.S. coast.
However, he continued to express his frustration that the federal government still has not pinpointed the source of the drones. He said Thursday night brought a record number of drone sightings reported across the state by local officials.
"Almost a month has gone by and we still have no answers from our government. The number of drones we are seeing is only increasing," Van Drew said in his statement.
He criticized the government for contradicting itself by saying it does not know who is responsible for the drone flyovers, “while at the same time telling us there is no reason to be concerned.”
“I remain fully committed to ensuring the security of the people of South Jersey and the nation as a whole," said Van Drew, a Republican who represents the 2nd Congressional District, including Atlantic and Cape May counties.
Van Drew said some drones have been reported to be as large as minivans. In one incident in Ocean County, as many as 30 drones supposedly tailed a U.S. Coast Guard ship off the coast.
Congressman Jeff Van Drew no longer believes the drones may be coming from an Iranian ship off the East Coast. (YouTube image)The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and New Jersey State Police are among the law enforcement agencies trying to determine who is responsible for scores of suspected drones flying over the state since November.
Federal authorities now say it appears that many of the suspected drones flying at night were simply ordinary planes or helicopters.
National security spokesman John Kirby said during a White House press briefing Thursday there are no indications that a foreign government is behind the drone sightings.
“Many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully," Kirby said. “There is no evidence of foreign-based involvement.”
Kirby also said there is no threat to national security or public safety from the drones. In the meantime, the drone sightings continue to be investigated by federal authorities.
“That said, we certainly take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems, which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports – even though they have uncovered no malicious activity or intent at this particular stage,” Kirby said.
Altogether, there have been reports of hundreds of suspected drones flying over at least 13 New Jersey counties since Nov. 18 – fraying nerves and triggering speculation that they could be a danger to public safety or national security.
At this point, drone sightings have been reported in Morris, Sussex, Warren, Bergen, Somerset, Essex, Passaic, Union, Middlesex, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Ocean and Camden counties, according to nj.com.
Later Friday, Van Drew released another statement reporting that drones have been seen hovering over the PSEG nuclear power plant in Salem County. Two drones, approximately the size of small SUVs, were spotted flying in close proximately over the plant.
In response to “this potential threat,” PSEG has requested airspace restrictions, Van Drew said.
“We are not stopping until we get to the bottom of this. We are currently working with the FBI to gather more information, and we have requested a classified briefing to ensure that we get the answers the people deserve,” he said while promising to keep the public informed.
To report a possible drone sighting, members of the public may call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Gov. Phil Murphy wants more help from the federal government to respond to the drones. In a related development Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he has sent letters to President Joe Biden and the leadership of the U.S. Senate and House to express his concerns about the drones and to appeal for more help from the federal government.
Since existing laws limit the ability of state and local law enforcement agencies to respond to drones, more federal resources are needed “to fully understand what is behind this activity,” Murphy wrote in his letter to Biden.
“New Jersey residents deserve more concrete information about these (drone) sightings and what is causing them,” his letter says. “The continued reporting of (drone) activity has raised more questions than answers and prompted an outcropping of conspiracy theories across social media and other platforms.”
