Drones over New Jersey: Mystery continues month after first sightings

(NewsNation) — After more than a month of sightings across multiple states, lawmakers and the general public are no closer to finding out what the mysterious drones are spotted in New Jersey and a handful of other states.

An unexplained large number of drones began flying over sensitive military sites in New Jersey in mid-November, and while the White House and the Pentagon insist they don’t pose a threat, lawmakers are demanding answers.

What are lawmakers doing about the drones?

On Dec. 12, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with three other U.S. senators, sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration requesting a briefing on the situation.

Since sightings of the drones have spread in news outlets and on social media, a slew of elected officials — local, state and federal — have been outspoken about what they call a lack of transparency from the government.

Last week, a group of New Jersey lawmakers met with state police and DHS, but some were left frustrated about the lack of answers they received.

Republican New Jersey state Rep. Brian Bergen told NewsNation that meeting was “a whole lot of nothing.”

“All they did was tell us they don’t know anything that’s going on,” he said.

Where are the drones?

Other than New Jersey, they have been spotted in other Northeastern states, including New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Sightings have also been reported in California, Florida, Ohio and Minnesota.

NewsNation confirmed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., received a classified briefing on the drones, and lawmakers on both sides have called for the drones to be intercepted.

“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., last week.

FAA bans drones in parts of New Jersey

Following the large number of mysterious drone sightings, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily banned drone flights in 22 areas of New Jersey where critical infrastructure is located.

FAA officials said federal security agencies requested the flight restrictions, which are effective through Jan. 17.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the restrictions are out of an “abundance of caution,” without explaining further.

NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer and Tom Dempsey contributed to this report.