US senator says mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey region should be ‘shot down, if necessary’

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A US senator has called for mysterious drones spotted flying over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other parts of the mid-Atlantic region to be “shot down” if necessary, as it remains unclear who owns them.

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“We must do some very urgent intelligence analysis and get them out of the sky, especially if they are flying over airports or military bases,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Thursday as concerns about drones spread across Capitol Hill.

He added that people in the New York area are also concerned that drones may be sharing airspace with commercial airlines.

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“The Biden administration must act more aggressively against these reported drones. If only to tell the American people who owns it, who drives it, and what it is. “The lack of information is absolutely unacceptable,” said Blumenthal, a fellow Democrat of the president.

Drones appear to evade detection by traditional methods such as helicopters and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed by the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday.

Gov. Phil Murphy and law enforcement officials stressed they did not appear to threaten public safety. The FBI conducted an investigation and asked residents to share any videos, photos or other information they may have.

The number of sightings has increased in recent days, although officials say many of the objects seen may have been planes rather than drones. It is also possible for a single drone to be reported more than once.

The concern stems in part from flying objects that were initially spotted near Picatinny Arsenal, a US military research and manufacturing facility; And on President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.

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In a post on the social media platform

Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use but are subject to local and federal aviation authority regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified.

Most, but not all, of the drones spotted in New Jersey were larger than those typically used by hobbyists.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said he was frustrated by the lack of transparency, saying it could help spread fear or misinformation.

“We must know what is happening above our skies,” he said on Thursday.

Fantasia, a Republican from Morris County, was among several lawmakers who met with state police and Homeland Security officials to discuss the spate of sightings that range from the New York City area across New Jersey and west to parts of Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia.

Two Republican congressmen from the Jersey Shore, U.S. Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, also called on the military to shoot down the drones.

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Smith said a commanding officer with the U.S. Coast Guard briefed him on an incident over the weekend in which dozens of drones followed a Coast Guard robotic lifeboat “in close pursuit” near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County.

“Several aircraft were spotted at low altitude near one of our ships near Island Beach State Park,” Coast Guard Lt. Luke Pineo on Wednesday told The Associated Press.

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AP reporters Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; Wayne Barry in Point Pleasant, New Jersey; Video journalists Serkan Gurbuz and Nathan Elgren in Washington contributed to the preparation of this report.

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