Thousands of drone sightings reported in northeastern states over the past month do not appear to be “anything out of the ordinary” or pose a threat to national security or public safety, federal officials said in a multi-agency statement late Monday.
The FBI has received more than 5,000 tips in recent weeks about drone sightings in New Jersey and other states, according to a joint statement released by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense. .
Those tips have led to nearly 100 pieces of information, with federal investigators assisting state and local officials.
“After careful consideration of technical data and tips from the public, we assess that the sightings so far include a combination of legitimate commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned aircraft, helicopters and starships mistakenly reported as drones,” he says. joint statement he said
In this image taken from the video, what appear to be drones flying over Randolph, NJ on December 4, 2024.
AP
Unmanned aerial drones have been lighting up the night skies of New Jersey and surrounding states for weeks since mid-November, sparking local concern and online speculation. some he asked for answers for answers from local and state authorities.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have deployed infrared cameras and drone detection technology to ensure drones flying over the New Jersey and New York area are not harmful, according to state police. Dozens of agencies are out every day looking for answers and tracking operators who act “illegally or with malicious intent,” the FBI said.
The agency is also analyzing social media and other photos to determine what exactly is in the photos. Most of the photos and videos depict manned aircraft, according to a law enforcement source.
This photo provided by Trisha Bushey shows the evening sky and points of light in Lebanon Township, NJ on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
Trisha Bushey via AP
But the newly released statement appears to take a simplistic view of the mysterious drone sightings, noting that federal officials have yet to “identify anything anomalous and do not rate the activity to date to present a threat to national security or public safety in civilian airspace.” New Jersey or other northeastern states.”
“That said, we recognize the concerns of many communities,” the statement said. “We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and law enforcement assistance.”
ABC News’ Calvin Milliner, David Brennan, Luke Barr, Meredith Deliso, Luis Martinez, Matt Seyler, Aaron Katersky, Sarah Kolinovsky and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.
