‘Several’ drones entered airspace at New Jersey naval base (official)

There have been “several” cases of drones entering the airspace of a Navy weapons station in New Jersey, officials said Friday, as concern continues to grow. following widespread drone sightings in the region.

Naval Weapons Station Earle, located in Colts Neck, New Jersey, said it was “aware” of sightings in the area and “continues to coordinate closely with federal and state agencies to ensure safety of our people and our operations.

“While no direct threat to the installation has been identified, we can confirm several instances of unidentified drones entering the airspace above Naval Weapons Station Earle,” Bill said Addison, the naval station’s public affairs officer, in a statement to ABC News. “The base remains prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities.”

The base did not say when the incidents occurred.

The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety said downed or landed drones “should not be approached,” in an intelligence bulletin obtained Friday by ABC News.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy expressed his “increasing concern” about reports of drones around New Jersey in a letter to President Joe Biden. common Friday while asking for more resources to “understand what is behind this activity”.

New Jersey State Police have received reports of drone sightings since Nov. 18, Murphy said.

“New Jersey residents deserve more concrete information about these UAS sightings and their causes,” he wrote in the letter dated Thursday, referring to unmanned aircraft systems. “Continued reports of UAS activity have raised more questions than answers and caused conspiracy theories to surface on social media and other platforms.”

Murphy also wrote to congressional leaders Thursday about the impending demise of the Department of Homeland Security’s authority and the FBI’s authority to combat unmanned aircraft systems and called on them to adopt a legislation authorizing state and local law enforcement agencies to use “advanced detection and mitigation technologies.” to deal with UAS.

Residents of northern New Jersey – particularly in Morris and Somerset counties – have shared numerous videos and stories about larger drones than those used by amateurs flying at night since mid-November. Colts Neck is located in Monmouth County in the eastern part of the state.

Sen. Andy Kim, who was sworn in this week, spent Thursday evening in Hunterdon County, neighboring Somerset, where he said he saw dozens of drones in two hours.

“People deserve answers,” Kim said journalists after his visit to the county. “We don’t need conspiracy theories or speculation, we need assurance that the people charged with keeping us safe are aware of this issue, and a line of communication so people have the feeling that their government is taking this seriously.”

He reiterated calls for a federal investigation led by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. Kim was one of four senators from New York and New Jersey — along with fellow Democrats Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker — who wrote a letter to federal officials Wednesday calling for action.

“We write with urgent concern regarding the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) activity that has affected the communities of New York and New Jersey in recent days,” the letter said.

Although the letter does not specifically mention Naval Weapons Station Earle, it does include a note that the drones have been observed near “critical infrastructure and sensitive locations, including tanks and military installations “.

The White House downplayed some of residents’ concerns during a press briefing Thursday with National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby, saying “many” of the reported drone sightings appear to be of legally flown aircraft.

He said they had not been able to “corroborate some of the reported sightings” using their detection techniques, but were still investigating.

“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a threat to national security or public safety, or that they have a foreign nexus,” Kirby added. “The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings and working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin.”

Kim, after seeing the drones with his own eyes Thursday evening, said the comments were not necessarily reassuring to residents.

“It’s hard for people to feel safe when there are unexplained drones flying over their environment and they’re not getting the answers they need from the federal investigation,” said Kim. “This has been going on for weeks and I’m as frustrated as everyone else that we’re not getting more information and details. That’s why I came to see for myself and I’m grateful to the local police for helping me. to have accompanied.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed temporary restrictions on drone flights in New Jersey over the Picatinny Arsenal military base in Morris County and the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Somerset County in response to the drone activity reported.

“Safely integrating drones into the National Airspace System is a key priority for the FAA,” the agency said in a statement earlier this month. “We review all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate where appropriate.”

New York City elected officials have asked the New York Police Department to investigate reported drone sightings over the Staten Island borough and urged federal authorities to provide more answers.

“Millions of people here – in New Jersey, of course here on Staten Island and beyond – are getting nothing but ‘Don’t believe what you see,'” the borough president said. Staten Island’s Vito Fossella during a press briefing Friday. .

The briefing took place near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, where Fossella said there was a recent report of what was believed to be a drone flying over the bridge.

“The people of Staten Island deserve answers. The people of this city, this state and this region deserve answers about what is happening,” he added.

New York State Police said Friday they were investigating “numerous reports of drone sightings” received over the past 24 hours.

“We have no evidence at this time that the reported sightings pose a threat to public safety,” state police said.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday he witnessed “what appeared to be dozens of large drones” for about 45 minutes above his home in Davidsonville, Md., Thursday evening while criticizing what he called the federal government’s “negligent response.”

“Like many who have observed these drones, I am unsure whether this increasing activity in our skies poses a threat to public safety or national security,” he said on X, while sharing a video of two minutes of the activity. “But the public is increasingly concerned and frustrated by the complete lack of transparency and dismissive attitude of the federal government.”

“People are rightly demanding answers, but are not getting them,” he added.