Since about mid-November, hundreds of New Jersey residents have been calling law enforcement and state officials after spotting what appeared to be drones in the skies over about a dozen counties. The reports have become more frequent in recent days. In some sightings, mysterious car-sized flying objects, sometimes in groups, were seen above military installations and critical infrastructure such as energy facilities, railway stations and reservoirs. Republican state senator Jon Bramnick said it amounted to “a limited state of emergency”.
What are the flying objects?
Nobody has yet been able to properly identify them. White House officials say they do not belong to the US military and believe they are mostly “manned aircraft … being operated lawfully”. No foreign involvement is suspected and there is no apparent threat to public safety or national security, the Pentagon says. Phil Murphy, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, called them “unmanned aerial systems”, or UAS, in a letter to president Joe Biden demanding further investigation. Their size, roughly 6-ft across according to some accounts, makes them unlikely to be toy or hobby drones flown by amateurs.
Could they be UFOs or sent by a hostile foreign power?
The White House, Pentagon, homeland security department and FBI all say no. While they don’t know exactly what the objects are, they are confident in knowing what they’re not. John Kirby, the government’s national security spokesperson, told reporters on Thursday that there is no evidence of any overseas involvement – and added that authorities at federal and state level had yet to corroborate any reported sighting. “Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities,” an FBI statement released Friday said.
What are politicians saying?
There is mounting, bipartisan resentment at the government’s apparently dismissive response to the incidents. Murphy, the New Jersey governor, wrote to Biden to demand more resources for a federal investigation, citing his “growing concern” at the increasing frequency of the reports. Republicans have been more critical, some accusing authorities of negligence. New Jersey congressman Jeff Van Drew told a House committee he had information the drones were launched from an offshore Iranian “mothership” and the government was “dealing with the American people like we’re stupid”.
Where else have they been seen?
As well as New Jersey, sightings have been reported in parts of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia in recent days and weeks. On Thursday night, Larry Hogan, the Republican former governor of Maryland, said he watched dozens of large drones for about 45 minutes above his house in Davidsonville. Overseas, drones have been spotted recently at a US air base in Germany and at RAF bases in the UK used by American forces, but there is so far no known link to events in the US.
So what is being done about them?
The Federal Aviation Administration has implemented drone no-fly zones in some areas of New Jersey, including an army facility in Morris county and president-elect Donald Trump’s golf resort in Bedminster, while investigations continue. Some local officials want a statewide ban. The Pentagon, having established no security threat, is leaving it to the FBI, working with state authorities, to better understand what the objects are and where they came from. The FBI’s Newark field office, in conjunction with state police, has asked for the public’s help.
What is the law regarding drones?
Drones, and flying them, are regulated by strict FAA laws and regulations, which include compulsory registration for most types of private and commercial unmanned aerial systems, as well restrictions on where and when they can be flown. For instance, it is prohibited to fly UAS near airports, military installations and facilities, and over people, depending on their size. It is a criminal offense to shoot down drones because of the safety implications. The FAA has the authority to close airspace to all drone flights at its discretion.