Federal authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and Department of Defense, stated that recent drone sightings on the East Coast pose no public threat. Their investigation revealed that the sightings consist of lawful commercial and hobbyist drones, law enforcement aircraft, and misidentified stars. It’s widely speculated that the drones have ties to China following Chinese spy balloons floating over the U.S.
They emphasized that there is no evidence of any national security risk and noted the increasing prevalence of registered drones in the U.S.
The FBI has received over 5,000 tips, resulting in about 100 leads investigated. Authorities continue to support local law enforcement and urge Congress to enhance counter-drone legislation.
The statement from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and Department of Defense said, “Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”
The statement said, “We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”
The statement read, “We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement.”
The statement added, “We urge Congress to enact counter-UAS legislation when it reconvenes that would extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge.”
The Department of Defense concluded, “Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place.”
