(Bloomberg) -- There is no evidence that mysterious drones sighted in the eastern US present a threat to national security or to public safety, federal officials said on Saturday.
In an unusual briefing aimed at allaying public concern, the officials attributed the sightings to people spotting drones flying lawfully or misidentifying planes and helicopters.
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said their agencies are taking concerns seriously. But they have found nothing to suggest malicious foreign or criminal actors, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The briefing came amid rising public anxiety and widening conspiracy theories. Efforts so far to downplay concern have fanned skepticism as well as demands for a concrete explanation from politicians from Massachusetts to Maryland, as well as from President-elect Donald Trump.
Runways at New York Stewart International Airport in Orange County were closed for more than an hour starting at about 10 p.m. Friday following a sighting reported by the FAA, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
“This has gone too far,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement about the airport’s closure.
Trump weighed in on Friday in a post on Truth Social: “Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!”
The FBI official on Saturday suggested a certain amount of public overreaction, noting that while the agency has received about 5,000 tips by phone and the web in the past two weeks, fewer than 100 leads warranted further investigation.
The recent spate of sightings began in New Jersey, where drones have been seen hovering above critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments and military installations, Florham Park Chief of Police, Joseph Orlando, said in a Facebook post. Drones have even been spotted flying above Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations, prompting PSEG to contact the authorities, according to the company.
One of the federal officials on Saturday confirmed drone sightings over Picatinny Arsenal, a US military and research facility, and Naval Weapons Station Earle, a US Navy base, both located in New Jersey.
In Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro on Friday said he’s directed the State Police to fly helicopters “to try and determine where these drones are originating from and what the purpose of these drones are.”
He added: “We’ve been told, again, by our federal partners, it does not pose any kind of national security or personal security risk. But you know, as the old saying goes, trust but verify.”
In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey said she’s aware of the reported sightings, is monitoring the situation, and that state police are working with local and federal authorities. She urged drone operators to follow the law and ensure their safe use.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has contacted President Joe Biden as well as Senator Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson, urging federal legislation empowering the state’s local law enforcement to use advanced detection and mitigation technologies to deal with the drones. State officials didn’t specify exactly what those measures are.
“It is clear that this is not a job the federal government can do on its own,” he wrote.
Hochul, in her statement on Saturday, also called on Congress to pass a bill strengthening the FAA’s oversight of drones, which would extend to some state and local authorities.
Saturday’s briefing follows White House, Pentagon and other national security officials previous assertions that the drones don’t pose a security risk and are not from a foreign entity. But the sightings are spreading geographically, with residents and legislators reporting unknown objects in neighboring states.
Multi-state sightings
“Last night, beginning at around 9:45pm, I personally witnessed (and videoed) what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence in Davidsonville, Maryland (25 miles from our nation’s capital),” former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan wrote in a post on X.
He said the drones hovered above his house for almost a full hour and said the response from the federal government “is entirely unacceptable.”
The FBI is leading the effort to determine the source of the sightings, including identifying where the drones are taking off and landing, according to a person familiar.
Overnight from Thursday into Friday, there were 79 reports of drone sightings. While some may have been duplicate observations by different individuals, each call is treated as a separate incident, the person said.
These sightings have been reported nightly since Nov. 18, with the exception of Thanksgiving, when no activity was reported. There have been few to no reports of suspicious drone activity during daylight hours.
Some reports suggest that the drones are capable of remaining in the air for up to six hours, prompting questions about their specifications and purpose.
(Updates with information from US officials starting in first paragraph.)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.