A military analyst and former Air Force colonel has called on the White House to end “pooh-poo” reports about drones flying over New Jersey and to take the claims seriously.
Col. Cedric Layton said Friday that the Biden administration is urging Garden State residents to “don't believe your eyes” amid rampant speculation over the origin of mysterious flying objects that have also been sighted in New York and Connecticut. “People should stop saying that,” he told CNN. .
“We need to know whether these are foreign assets or other assets that are doing things that they shouldn't. So this is a case of not believing your eyes. “This is one area where we really need to ask for the public's help,” Leighton told the station.
“And that's the really important issue here: the government needs to be responsive to the people, instead of basically being fed up with what they're saying.”
White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby on Wednesday dismissed concerns, saying federal investigators have not been able to confirm any of the more than 3,000 reports of car-sized drones hovering in the night sky over the past few weeks. He told reporters that he had not done so.
Instead, he suggested that most claims about mysterious aircraft come from people who mistake legally flying helicopters or planes for drones. Even if members of Congress have suggested they may be malicious foreign entities.
New Jersey residents and lawmakers are outraged by the lack of information and lack of answers from federal authorities.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) was told this week by a “very reliable” source that the drones may be originating from an Iranian “mother ship” stationed offshore. He made a shocking statement and sounded an alarm. The Department of Defense quickly responded to this claim. Shuts down without further explanation.
After being fired from the Pentagon, he doubled down on his claims, telling Fox News on Wednesday that “we're not being told the truth” and that the Pentagon “is treating the American people like we're stupid.” “There is,” he said.
Meanwhile, on Thursday night, there were two unconfirmed reports of drone crashes in New Jersey, where skies were clear and flying conditions were favorable.
At 8:47 p.m. Thursday, a call came into the Pequannock Township Police scanner alerting officers to a suspected drone crash.
“The drone landed in the backyard of a resident's home,” the 911 dispatcher said. “It's a small thing, it has flashing lights and it has a tail.”
audio clip From an open source police scanner Police received a report of another drone crashing into power lines in Morris County around 9:35 p.m., which allegedly sparked heavy drone activity.
“The drone fell from the sky next to the power lines near the house,” the dispatcher said.
“She reported that 10 more drones appeared and were circling the area when she heard the crash.”
The police officer, clearly unimpressed, replied: “A drone fell from the sky. If that's true, don't touch it until I get there.”
The newspaper reached out to the Pequannock Police Department and the Morris County Sheriff's Office for confirmation.
This bizarre sighting has sparked bipartisan concern in the tri-state area.
U.S. senators from the Empire and Garden states, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker and Sen.-elect Andy Kim of New Jersey, are the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Aviation Administration. He co-signed a letter to the department. On Wednesday, it demanded an explanation of what was being done to “identify and address the causes of these intrusions.”
“We write this letter out of urgent concern about unmanned aircraft system activity that has impacted communities in New York and New Jersey in recent days,” the Democratic senators wrote, adding, “These drone incidents It added that the “ongoing nature of the pandemic” leaves them “concerned.” ”
Layton said a drone could be something as simple as Amazon or FedEx testing some new delivery method, or it could be our military using new equipment.
“The U.S. government, law enforcement or the military may be conducting some experiments, they may be experimenting with new technology, but these types of experiments typically don't take place in populated areas. '' he told CNN on Thursday night.
Either way, New Jersey residents are worried about the lack of information.
Ali Perez, 26, claims he saw a drone over Wayne, New Jersey on Thursday.
“They're surprising me,” Perez told the Post at the Craftsman restaurant bar in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
“Tonight around 6:45 p.m., my fiancé and I were on our way to the gym when we saw someone and it was so creepy,” she said.
“We're supposed to live in a safe country, but no one knows what's going on.”
