NORTHCOM and New Jersey Concerned about the Snowmassive Fly-by of a Search for Human-Lided Particles

The US military appears unperturbed with the sudden incursions even though New Jersey lawmakers are concerned. In a December 11 statement, US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) revealed that the command had “conducted a deliberate analysis of the events, in consultation with other military organizations and interagency partners, and at this time we have not been requested to assist with these events.” The following day, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said that many of the recent drone reports that had worried civilians were not actual drones, but conventional aircraft. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security echoed this assessment in a statement on Thursday, saying, “it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space.”

In New Jersey, we support local law enforcement with numerous detection methods, but have not been able to confirm any of the reported visual images with electronic detection. “To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed cases of drones in restricted air space.

More transparency and a briefing about the investigation were requested in a letter sent by other politicians on Thursday, including the majority leader of the Senate and a Democrat from New York.

New Jersey Drone Sightings: Concerns over the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Homeland Security and their Role in Social Media

In New Jersey, reports of strange drones flying over at night have gone up more than once, with people reporting them on social media. The reports have spread in New York City as well, with alleged sightings in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens. The United States Federal Aviation Administration imposed a temporary ban in New Jersey this week on flying drones over the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal in Wharton and a golf course owned by US president-elect Donald Trump in Bedminster. While the mystery has grown bigger, there is still no information about whether the sightings are connected or not.

In their statement, the FBI and DHS said that there was no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey but they noted that the reports of people seen there highlights the insufficiency of current authorities.

“Today, I spoke with Liz Sherwood-Randall, White House homeland security adviser, to discuss my concerns over the federal government’s response to recent drone sightings in NJ,” New Jersey governor Phil Murphy wrote in a social media post on Thursday. The federal government, including the FBI, will be pressed for answers on behalf of the public.