President-elect Donald Trump has offered his solution for the mysterious clusters of drones buzzing over New Jersey, New York and other several other states.
“Mystery drone sightings all over the country,” Trump wrote in a post shared to Truth Social on Friday. “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!!!”
His post came after several Republican lawmakers, including representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tim Burchett, Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, also called on the military to shoot the drones down.
Trisha Bushey via AP
This photo provided by Trisha Bushey shows the evening sky and points of light near in Lebanon Township, N.J., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.
The “fixed-wing aircrafts” were initially spotted hovering over the Garden State in late November, and have continued to be seen in the weeks since. Residents have reported the drones, some of them in packs as large as eight, mostly zipping around the airspace over mid- and northern New Jersey, including near Donald Trump’s National Golf Club in Bedminster and the Picatinny Arsenal Military Base in Rockaway.
Since then, the sightings have spread across several states along the East Coast.
In New York City, residents in the Bronx and Queens have reported seeing multiple drones, while others spotted the aircrafts hovering near La Guardia Airport. In response, the New York City Emergency Management Department on Thursday said it was aware of the reports and monitoring the situation.
Other sightings have occurred in Maryland, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said Thursday that many of the drone sightings in New Jersey are actually lawfully operated manned aircraft, and that they pose no national security or public threat.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in a joint statement echoed the sentiment, saying their investigation uncovered no evidence to suggest the clusters of drones posed any danger to residents.
The agencies also shot down claims the aircraft are connected to a “foreign nexus.”
In a letter to President Biden on Thursday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy requested additional resources be directed toward understanding what’s behind the increased drone activity. He has repeatedly tried to calm residents over the eerie sightings.
