Drone mystery continues in New Jersey as experts offer new theories about sightings

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., called out the Biden administration during a press conference Saturday about the recent drone sightings that have stumped U.S. officials.

The unidentified drone sightings, which have been observed flying above U.S. military installations and New Jersey homes since mid-November, have caused concern in the Garden State. 

The aircraft have also been spotted in Connecticut. On Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called for the drones to be "shot down" if necessary. 

On Saturday, U.S. officials held a phone conference with reporters and appeared to downplay concerns about the drones, saying there was no evidence linking the aircraft to foreign adversaries.

Speaking from Seaside Heights, New Jersey, Smith said he asked DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas why the drones' origins are still unknown.

"I asked Secretary Mayorkas at a briefing, a Zoom briefing, why we can't follow them, find out where they're going," the Republican told reporters. "They're coming from somewhere. … You can't seem to do that.

"Why can't we follow them and find what their origin is? Many of them seem to be coming from the ocean."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Andrea Margolis

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says the U.S. is not aware of any "foreign involvement with respect to the the sightings in the northeast."

Mayorkas made the statement during a Sunday morning appearance on ABC News with host George Stephanopoulos. President Biden's administration has faced criticism for a lack of transparency regarding the drone sightings.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie called for more authority for state police to bring drones down amid controversy over mysterious sightings across the state.

Christie made the comments during an appearance on ABC News on Sunday.

President-elect Trump dragged Christie into the drone controversy this weekend after poking fun at the famously rotund figure this weekend. Trump posted an image to social media showing drones over New Jersey delivering McDonald's to Christie.

A New Jersey mayor is calling out White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby for his latest remarks on the purported drones flying through U.S. airspace.

"That is ridiculous. I would invite Mr. Kirby to Mine Hill. Come on out, Mr. Kirby, and let's go on out one night at about 9:30, 10:00," Mine Hill Township Mayor Sam Morris told ABC News Thursday. 

"Mr. Kirby just called the security people at Picatinny Arsenal liars, the Ocean County Sheriff's Department liars, and the state police in New Jersey liars," he elaborated on "The Evening Edit" Friday. 

Kirby said Thursday that a number of the purported drone sightings spotted over New Jersey for the past several weeks appear to be piloted aircraft.

"We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus," Kirby told reporters at the White House press briefing. "The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they're working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin."

"Using very sophisticated electronic detection technologies provided by federal authorities, we have not been able to, and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities, corroborate any of the reported visual sightings," he said. "To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully. The United States Coast Guard is providing support to the state of New Jersey, and has confirmed that there is no evidence of any foreign-based involvement from coastal vessels. And importantly, there are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox Business' Madeline Coggins

U.S. national security officials sought to dispel concerns about the mysterious drones flying over the Northeast in a recent call with reporters, one going as far as describing nationwide uneasiness as "a slight overreaction."

The call, attended by Fox News Digital Saturday, was hosted by senior Biden administration officials, including representatives from the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Security Council (NSC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD).

The senior officials remained tight-lipped about the origins of the drones, which are still being investigated. The mysterious aircraft were first spotted flying above northern New Jersey in mid-November and have been repeatedly seen by thousands of residents over the past few weeks.

During the call with reporters, an FBI official said his agency has received 5,000 tips since the first mysterious drone was seen flying above the Garden State in November. Of those 5,000 tips, fewer than 100 warranted further investigation, the official said.

The FBI official added that investigators have found no evidence of large-scale unmanned drone activity despite the recent uptick in drone activity in recent weeks.

"We're doing our best to find the origin of that specific … those drone activities," the official said. "But I think there has been a slight overreaction."

Echoing comments from the FBI representative, a DHS official noted that, while his agency is not dismissing all tips about the drones as non-credible, "the amount of actual drone activity is likely less than what's being reported."

A DOD official added that the agency has gathered "no intelligence or observations that would indicate that [the drones] were aligned with a foreign actor or that they had malicious intent."

"But, you know, just to simply tell you, we don't know," the representative said. "We have not been able to locate or identify the operators or the points of origin."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Andrea Margolis

Monmouth County, New Jersey Sheriff Shaun Golden explained his "frustration" over the mixed messages on drone sightings during an appearance on ‘Fox & Friends Weekend.'

Golden said he sent a letter to New Jersey members of Congress calling for legislation that would allow state police to "take down" drones if necessary.

"Right up to President Trump, he said, 'If they're not ours, shoot them down." If this was a national security drill we miserably failed," Golden said. "Drone technology is emerging so much faster, particularly in the defense field. It's matter of national security, and it's a matter of public safety here in New Jersey."

Golden noted that only federal authorities are currently allowed to take down the drones, which he says adds to local police's frustration.

"These things are definitely sophisticated, fast, they turn their lights off at times. So we need to get a handle on what it is and who's running it. We're from Jersey, we can take the truth," he added.

Former CIA Operations officer Laura Ballman says the mysterious drone sightings are 'extremely unsettling' as the public seeks answers on 'Fox News Live.'

Drone sightings across New Jersey have unsettled residents for weeks with no official explanations being offered. Ballman argued that circumstances around the drone sightings suggest it may be a U.S. operation.

"Deducing the statements from [National Security spokesman] John Kirby that these drones are not operating illegally, coupled with several op-eds that have been out there in the last 24 hours about the need to look at our detection systems, makes me think perhaps this is actually a classified exercise to test either evasion technology or detection technology in urban areas," Ballman said.

Ballman went on to say she would be "shocked" if the drones were related to the CIA, saying it is "not their mandate to operate in the United States." She added that she is "troubled" by why the U.S. government has not been forthcoming with information regarding the drones.

U.S. national security officials sought to dispel concerns about the mysterious drones flying over the Northeast in a recent call with reporters, one going as far as describing nationwide uneasiness as "a slight overreaction."

The call, attended by Fox News Digital Saturday, was hosted by senior Biden administration officials, including representatives from the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Security Council (NSC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD).

The senior officials remained tight-lipped about the origins of the drones, which are still being investigated. The mysterious aircraft were first spotted flying above northern New Jersey in mid-November and have been repeatedly seen by thousands of residents over the past few weeks.