New York and New Jersey senators seek federal briefing on NJ drones

Although the federal government maintains that it does not know much about the drones, the Pentagon and White House bothsaid they have seen no evidence that the drones are from a foreign entity.

By Misty Severi

Published: December 12, 2024 4:48pm

Senate Democrats from New York and New Jersey on Thursday requested a federal briefing on the mysterious drones that have appeared in New Jersey recently, which federal officials have claimed they have no information about.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week issued two flight restrictions on the area surrounding President-elect Donald Trump's Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, following questionable drone activity. The drone sightings were first reported on Nov. 18.

An FBI official on Tuesday claimed the bureau does not know much about the drone activity, or who is behind it, but said the agency has not seen anything that would lead it to believe the drones pose a danger to the American public.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Andy Kim, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent the request to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, asking for information on how they are working “to identify and address the source of recent unmanned aerial system activity.”

Senate letter to FAA DHS and FBI.pdf

“The potential safety and security risks posed by these drones in civilian areas is especially pertinent considering recent drone incursions at sensitive military sites in and outside of the continental U.S. over the past year," they wrote. “Protecting civilian infrastructure, safety, and privacy as well as military assets and personnel will require a comprehensive response from Congress and the executive branch.”

Although the federal government maintains that it does not know much about the drones, the Pentagon and White House both said they have seen no evidence that the drones are from a foreign entity.

“We understand that people are concerned, we understand they’ve got questions, we’ve got questions too and we’re working hard to get the answers to that,” national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters on Thursday, per The Hill. “We haven’t seen any indication thus far that there’s a public safety risk ... [but] we are still investigating this."

The senators requested a response by Dec. 23.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.