The mysterious reported sightings of drone clusters in the night skies over New Jersey and other parts of the northeastern US have sparked frustrated outbursts from members of Congress, prompting calls for a limited state of emergency to be declared for the region.
Jon Bramnick, a Republican senator in New Jersey, has called for a ban on all drones until the mystery is solved. ABC’s Action News reported that he called for a “limited state of emergency … until the public receives an explanation of these multiple sightings.”
Concerns about unexplained drone sightings began in mid-November as isolated posts from local residents on social media. The issue has steadily risen up the political food chain, reaching the podium of state and federal authorities this week.
Related: Clusters of unidentified drones spotted in New York and New Jersey
On Wednesday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy held a briefing call with US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as representatives in Congress and state police to discuss the drone reports. He emphasized that there is “no known threat to the public at this time.”
Also on Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence held a hearing on the topic. Robert Wheeler, an FBI official charged with investigating the case, confirmed at the hearing that the agency still had no explanation for the sightings.
When asked if the public was in danger, Wheeler responded: “Are we concerned that there is nefarious intent that could cause an actual security incident or a public safety incident? There’s nothing known that would make me say that, but we just don’t know. And that’s the relevant part of it.
He told members of Congress that more than 3,000 sightings had been reported last week through a tip line the FBI had set up, but so far no breakthrough had been made.
The admission that the nation’s top law enforcement agency is essentially clueless about the mystery underlines the confusion that continues to swirl. It is not known if any group or individual is behind the phenomenon, or if there is even a credible issue – there has been speculation that the flurry of activity could merely amount to confusion over regular aircraft sightings or could be the product of distortions on social media. .
Sightings have been made in eight New Jersey counties. Mayors in 21 cities in the north and central parts of the state have written a joint letter to Murphy calling for statewide action.
Concerns have focused on drones spotted near newly elected President Donald Trump’s Bedminster Golf Course, as well as sensitive infrastructure including electrical transmission landmarks, train stations and police stations.
Recently, the sightings have spread to parts of New York City and across the suburbs of Philadelphia. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican congresswoman representing Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, told the House of Representatives that drones had been reported over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, close to U.S. military bases.
“They are flying over sensitive infrastructure, and the fact that we don’t know what they are, or who is behind them, or what they are doing is of great concern to me, especially in a post-China spy world,” she said, according to a report in the local Morristown Daily Record.
