Federal officials on Wednesday dismissed claims that the mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey are from an Iranian “mothership.”
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, RN.J., said on Fox News on Wednesday that the unidentified flying objects in his state’s skies came from an Iranian ship off the East Coast — a claim the Defense Department flatly denied.
Drew, a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he has heard from “high sources” that Iran controls the mysterious objects.
“Iran probably launched a mothership containing these drones about a month ago. That mothership is located off the east coast of the United States of America. They’ve been launching drones at everything we can see or hear,” Drew said. “And again, these come from high sources. I don’t say this lightly.”
He added that the drones should be “shot down,” whether they come from Iran or people who fly drones as a hobby.
An apparent drone over Flanders, NJ, on December 3.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh emphatically denied Drew’s comments on Wednesday.
“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there is no so-called mother ship launching drones toward the United States,” she said.
Singh added that there is no evidence that the mysterious flying objects are linked to any foreign entity or are the work of an adversary. U.S. officials will continue to monitor developments, Singh said.
Also Wednesday, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said in a statement that New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy should declare a state of emergency and issue an executive order banning recreational drone use at night.
“Residents have become increasingly alarmed by the increase in drone activity after dark, raising concerns about public safety and security,” Golden said. “We cannot wait any longer. The Governor must act now and the National Air Guard must step in to protect our communities. In addition, we ask Congress to immediately pass federal legislation for state police and sheriff’s offices across the country that will allow them to address this issue head-on.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
