DHS and FBI dismiss reports of foreign drone sightings in New Jersey

Reports of foreign drone sightings in the U.S., particularly in New Jersey, have been dismissed in a joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Many of the reported sightings were found to be legally operated, manned aircraft.

The DHS and FBI issued the joint statement on Thursday after authorities began investigating reports of sightings involving “Iranian” drones and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), according to users on social media. Videos and images of the alleged sightings had been widely shared.

“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” the DHS and FBI stated. “Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities.”

“We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection,” the statement continued. “To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space.”

BNO News has reviewed user-submitted videos shared on social media that claimed to capture foreign drones and UAS. Most of the footage is blurry and shows regular commercial and cargo airplanes or helicopters flying over the area, with “erratic flying behavior” attributed to sudden camera movements and optical illusions caused by the camera angles.

Other videos depict flashing lights in the sky, which could be identified as footage taken from low-altitude positions aimed at high-altitude terrain, such as mountains with antennas that have blinking lights to prevent aircraft collisions. Additional explanations include space debris, natural phenomena, or re-uploaded videos from other times that have been taken out of context.

The DHS and FBI statement concluded by saying, “We take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports.”

“To be clear, (authorities) have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage. While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities,” the statement concluded.