(Colts Neck, N.J.) — There have been “multiple” instances of drones entering the airspace at a Navy weapons station in New Jersey, officials there said Friday, as the concern continues to grow over widespread drone sightings in the region.
Naval Weapons Station Earle, which is located in Colts Neck, New Jersey, said it was “aware” of the sightings in the region and “continues to closely coordinate with federal and state agencies to ensure the safety of our personnel and operations.”
“While no direct threats to the installation have been identified, we can confirm multiple instances of unidentified drones entering the airspace above Naval Weapons Station Earle,” Bill Addison, public affairs officer for the naval station, said in a statement to ABC News. “The base remains prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities.”
The base did not say when the incidents happened.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy expressed his “growing concern” about the drone reports around New Jersey in a letter to President Joe Biden shared on Friday while asking for more resources to “to fully understand what is behind this activity.”
New Jersey State Police have received reports of the drone sightings since Nov. 18, Murphy said.
“New Jersey residents deserve more concrete information about these UAS sightings and what is causing them,” he wrote in the letter, dated Thursday, referring to unmanned aircraft systems. “The continued reported of UAS activity has raised more questions than answers and prompted an outcropping of conspiracy theories across social media and other platforms.”
Murphy also wrote to congressional leaders on Thursday regarding the imminent lapse of the Department of Homeland Security and FBI’s counter-unmanned aircraft systems authority and called on them to pass legislation empowering the state and local law enforcement agencies to use “advanced detection and mitigation technologies” to deal with UAS.
Residents in northern New Jersey — especially in Morris and Somerset counties — have shared many videos and stories about drones larger than those used by hobbyists flying overheard at night since mid-November. Colts Neck is located in Monmouth County, in the eastern part of the state.
Sen. Andy Kim, who was sworn into office just this week, spent Thursday night in Hunterdon County, which neighbors Somerset, where he said he saw dozens of drones in a two-hour period.
“People deserve answers,” Kim told reporters after his visit to the county. “We don’t need conspiracy theories or conjecture, we need assurances that the people charged with keeping us safe are on top of this issue, and a line of communication so that people feel like their government is taking this seriously.”
He again reiterated his calls for a federal investigation by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Kim was one of the four senators in New York and New Jersey — along with fellow Democrats Sens. Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker — who wrote a letter to federal officials Wednesday calling for action.
“We write with urgent concern regarding the unmanned aerial system (UAS) activity that has affected communities across New York and New Jersey in recent days,” the letter said.
While the letter did not specifically mention Naval Weapons Station Earle, it included a note that the drones have been observed near “critical infrastructure and sensitive locations, including reservoirs and military installations.”
The White House downplayed some of the concerns of residents in a press briefing Thursday with national security communications adviser John Kirby saying “many” of the reported drone sightings appear to be lawfully operated manned aircraft.
He said they have been unable to “corroborate some of the reported sightings” using their detection techniques, but are still investigating.
“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 added. “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.”
Kim, after seeing the drones with his own eyes late Thursday, said the comments were not necessarily reassuring for residents.
“It’s hard for people to feel secure when there are unexplained drones flying overhead and they’re not getting answers they need from the federal investigation,” Kim said. “This has been going on for weeks and I’m just as frustrated as everyone else in not getting more information and details. That’s why I came out to see for myself, and I’m grateful for local police for taking me around.”
Elected officials In New York City have called on the NYPD to investigate reported drone sightings over the borough of Staten Island and urged federal officials to provide more answers.
“Millions of people around here — New Jersey, of course here in Staten Island, and beyond, are getting nothing but, ‘Don’t believe what you see,'” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said during a press briefing on Friday.
The briefing was held near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, where Fossella said there was a recent report of what is believed to be a drone flying over the bridge.
“The people of Staten Island deserve answers. The people of this city and state and region deserve answers of what the heck is going on,” he added.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday he witnessed “what appeared to be dozens of large drones” for about 45 minutes above his residence in Davidsonville on Thursday night while criticizing what he called the “negligent response” from the federal government.
“Like many who have observed these drones, I do not know if this increasing activity over our skies is a threat to public safety or national security,” he said on X, while sharing a two-minute video of the activity. “But the public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government.”
“People are rightfully clamoring for answers, but aren’t getting any,” he added.
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