Drones spotted over New Jersey should be 'shot down' — US senator

A US senator has called for mysterious drones spotted flying at night over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region to be "shot down, if necessary," even as it remains unclear who owns the unmanned aircraft.

"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," Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said on Thursday, as concerns about the drones spread across Capitol Hill.

People in the New York region are also concerned that the drones may be sharing airspace with commercial airlines, he said, demanding more transparency from the Biden administration.

The White House said on Thursday that a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully.

White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He said the US Coast Guard has not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels.

"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 said, echoing statements from the Pentagon and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh has said they are not US military drones.

Inaccurate sightings?

In a joint statement issued on Thursday afternoon, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they and their federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, "continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings."

The number of sightings has increased in recent days, though officials say many of the objects seen may have been planes rather than drones.

It's also possible that a single drone has been reported more than once.

The worry stems partly from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a US military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump's golf course in Bedminster.

Tony Perry, mayor of Middletown, New Jersey, told CNN on Thursday that in the past week or so there have been more than 40 drones spotted over his town. He said the drones are "SUV-sized" and fly at upward of 60 or 70 miles per hour.

"I'm not sure how anyone can just sit there and say that there's no imminent threat," Perry said.

"I don't think the federal government has taken it seriously to date," Perry added.

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

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

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

"We should know what's going on over our skies," he said on Thursday.