White House national security communications adviser John Kirby insisted the government still does not have a definitive answer on the nature of the reported drone sightings, amid growing public dissatisfaction.
“Many of the sightings that were corroborated turned out to be piloted aircraft. I didn't say all of them. I said those were the ones we were able to corroborate. That's it,” Kirby said on “The Story.” “There are certainly things that we haven't been able to do and we don't know the answers to that. I urge those who are seeing and documenting these things to share it with the Department of Lands if they can.” Security and FBI. ”
Drone mystery: New Jersey homeowners threaten to take matters into their own hands if government doesn't act
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a letter to Biden on Wednesday that federal law limits the ability of state and local law enforcement to counter drones and respond to drone sightings. asked the President for additional federal resources to do so.
“…it became clear that more resources were needed to fully understand what was behind this activity,” Murphy wrote. “Continued reporting on UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) activity has raised more questions than answers and encouraged the exposure of conspiracy theories across social media and other platforms.”
A map showing drone sightings around New Jersey.
Kirby mentioned the possibility that the reported drone sightings were linked to private companies, saying it was “very likely” that they were some type of commercially developed drone.
“Why don't you know? I wish you could tell me exactly why you don't have an answer here on the afternoon of Dec. 13,” Kirby said. “But we want to answer those questions just as the people of New Jersey want answers, so we're working very hard to find out. I can tell you.”
Kirby said Friday morning that there had been interagency conversations on the topic.
“We have now decided to hire additional technology and additional personnel in New Jersey to better understand what these things are,” he said.
New Jersey Congressman Paul Kanitra took photos of what appeared to be multiple drones hovering in the skies over New Jersey on Thursday, December 13th. (Paul Kanitra/“Fox News @ Night”)
Sheriff Sean Golden of Monmouth County, New Jersey, issued a statement Wednesday night urging authorities to declare a state of emergency over drone sightings. The release included a heat map showing the density of drones spotted across his county.
Heat map showing drone activity in Monmouth County, New Jersey. (Courtesy of Monmouth County Sheriff's Office)
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Rep. Chris Smith (RN.J.), whose district includes parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties, spent Monday night at the beach with several others, including the commander of the U.S. Coast Guard stationed at Barnegat Light. He recalled talking.
The commander said the 47-foot Coast Guard vessel had been closely followed by more than a dozen drones the night before.
Monmouth and Burlington counties are home to several military installations, including Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
On Thursday, Mayor Tony Perry of Middletown, New Jersey, expressed “concern” to Fox News about drone sightings near the Earle Naval Weapons Station waterfront site in his town, 14 miles north of the Colts Neck facility. .
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“I'm not going to lie to you or the American people and say I know something when I don't,” Kirby said. “We will never assume that the American people are crazy or insane because of what they see or record. We take the images seriously. “We are doing our best to analyze the situation.”We encourage anyone with additional sightings or images to come forward. ”
