Democratic senators from New York and New Jersey on Thursday demanded a briefing from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration on the mystery drones that have become a regular occurrence in the night sky.
“The potential safety and security risks posed by these drones in civilian areas is especially pertinent considering recent drone incursions at sensitive military sites in and outside of the continental United States over the past year,” Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim of New Jersey wrote.
The Democrats are asking for more information from the agencies on how they are attempting “to identify and address the source of recent unmanned aerial system activity.”
Local law enforcement agencies have highlighted that the drones’ “presence appears nefarious in nature” given they have been spotted over sensitive military sites and critical infrastructure.
During a hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said an Ocean County sheriff told him one of his officers witnessed 50 drones coming in off the sea, and a commanding officer with the Coast Guard said “one of their 47-foot motor lifeboats was followed by between 12 and 30 of these drones as they went through the water.”
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New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican, claimed an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast is responsible for launching the drones, though the Pentagon quickly responded, saying there is "no evidence" a foreign adversary is behind the drone incursions.
Senators @AndyKimNJ, @SenBooker, @SenSchumer and @SenGillibrand are requesting an immediate briefing from the FBI, FAA and DHS regarding the recent drone sightings over New Jersey, seeking information about their work to identify and address the source of these incursions. pic.twitter.com/u6lanf0PLW
— Shlomo Schorr (@OneJerseySchorr) December 12, 2024
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