New Jersey's mayor told Fox News host Harris Faulkner on Friday that first responders have been instructed to contact the bomb squad and wear protective gear if they encounter a mysterious drone.
Video footage obtained by The Daily Caller shows drones have been appearing over New Jersey in recent weeks, sometimes flying in formation. Belleville Mayor Michael Melham told Faulkner that he had received guidance from the state and had just received a call from his emergency management team before coming to the studio. (Related: 'That guy is an idiot': MP slams John Kirby after hearing answer about drone waves)
“That guidance certainly says two different things,” Melham told Faulkner. “First of all, if a drone crashes near us, we immediately notify our county bomb squad. And second, our fire department makes sure to wear protective gear. are instructed to do so.”
“So if something that people have seen falls out of the sky, and some of it is as big as an SUV, and that happens, you treat this like no more than a plane crash. Should you?” Mr. Faulkner asked. “Is this treated as an attack on the mainland?”
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Melham told Faulkner that authorities are unsure whether the mysterious drone is carrying a payload. He then said he was one of 200 mayors briefed Wednesday on what the state knew.
“What we took away from that was a very pointed message that these drones were hovering over our critical infrastructure,” Melham told Faulkner. Ta. “Interestingly, they're not doing any harm, they're just floating there. They're also saying there's no credible threat. When you start, there's critical infrastructure, but there's no significant threat, they're not going to shoot it down. No, we're not going to do a temporary ban, and we see them, they're lit, something's not adding up here, and it's possible that it's probably the highest level of government in our country. This could be a government asset being deployed as a countermeasure.
“As a countermeasure? So two things could be true,” Faulkner replied. “We know that the timelines coincide when this so-called ship, the mother ship, whatever it is, left Iran and showed up somewhere on the east coast of our country. Now, if there If it were full of drones and those drones were released, that timeline would fit according to Van Drew et al. So if that were the case, the government would know about it, so of course I We will leave things empty.” (Related: Montanans asked if they could 'try shooting' Chinese spy balloons, says Republican senator)
Faulkner also read social media posts from New Jersey residents who said they might want to try to shoot down the drone. Melham told Faulkner that attempting to remove the drone could land people in hot water.
“It's illegal,” Melham said. “Drones are considered aircraft and the FAA cannot shoot at aircraft in New Jersey. We are advised to instruct residents not to shoot.”
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