NEW YORK (WABC) — The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have deployed infrared cameras and drone detection technology to ensure the drones flying over the New Jersey and New York area aren’t harmful, according to a law enforcement source.
The agencies are also looking at social media and other photos to determine what exactly is in the photos. Most of the photos and video depict manned aircraft, according to a law enforcement source.
There have also been no reports from pilots about seeing any drones in the sky, according to the source.
Another issue federal authorities are dealing with: over-reporting of potentially seeing drones, according to the source. In the New York-New Jersey area, where they are being spotted, there are very few restrictions.
New Jersey lawmakers announce new steps in drone response strategy
On Monday, Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, announced new steps in response to drone activity in the region.
His action plan includes introducing legislation in the U.S. House, calling on the FBI, DHS and FAA to publicly brief on what they know about the drone activity. Gottheimer has also set up a new website for drone tips and is pushing for a drone air traffic control system and radar system to help track drone activity.
Meanwhile, Governor Phil Murphy visited an FBI team at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, where he received a briefing, and also met with New Jersey State Police officials and radar technicians at the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center in West Trenton, where they are surveying the area for unmanned aircraft systems.
Murphy said they have three mobile systems on loan from the federal government to detect drones. He says the systems were flicked on overnight, but said, “There may be suspicious activity out there as we stand here today, but there is little to no evidence of that right now.”
The governor says he’s still asking the Biden administration for federal intervention and answers as each update essentially fails to shed any more light on what may or may not be happening in the skies.
Matthew Murello, the mayor of Washington Township, New Jersey, told “Good Morning America” on Monday he believes “something’s going on,” expressing concern and frustration at the lack of answers from federal authorities.
“I’m not trying to stir anything up, but we all know — if you just turn on the television — that drones can be used in an aggressive fashion,” Murello said. “They can carry payloads. They can be used for all kinds of really aggressive-type things.”
At a news conference in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on Saturday, Rep. Chris Smith, (R-N.J.) said he’s working on legislation to give state and local authorities more power to track and potentially bring down aerial drones.
Smith said that New Jersey officials are demanding more action from federal partners, calling the drones a “very considerable danger.”
NJ State Police and FBI-Newark are also warning the public about taking drone matters into their own hands.
Authorities are warning “about an increase in pilots of manned aircraft being hit in the eyes with lasers because people on the ground think they see an Unmanned Aircraft Systems. There is also a concern with people possibly firing weapons at what they believe to be a UAS but could be a manned aircraft.”
Drone response in New York
In New York, officials at Stewart International Airport, located roughly 60 miles north of New York City, said they shut down their runways for an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration alerted them that a drone was spotted in the area.
Air traffic control recordings from the airport during that time include a pilot reporting drone sightings in the area.
The FAA said it “slowed traffic” at the airport because of the reported drone sightings near and over the airport. The agency added that no aircraft were impacted. The airport temporarily closed its runways, but no flight operations were impacted during the closure.
“This has gone too far,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Saturday.
While Hochul says she is grateful for the drone detection system, she called on the New York State Intelligence Center to probe the sighting incidents, while also calling on the federal government to do more.
Specifically, she called on Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, which would strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and give more authority to state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate the activity.
“Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people,” she said.
Feds continue to stress there is no public safety threat
Federal officials have repeatedly stressed that there is no evidence any of the reported drones pose a national security or public safety threat or have any foreign connections.
In an off-camera gaggle Monday, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder reaffirmed that the military has no reason to suspect there is any threat related to reported drone sightings.
“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,” Ryder said.
“Flying drones is not illegal. There are thousands of drones flown around the U.S. on a daily basis. So, as a result, it’s not that unusual to see drones in the sky, nor is it an indication of malicious activity or any public safety threat.,” he said.
Regarding drone activity near or above military bases, Ryder said that it is no unusual or a sign of mal behavior.
“The same applies to drones flown near U.S. military installations. Some fly near or over our bases from time to time. That in and of itself, is not unusual, and the vast majority pose no physical threat to our forces or impact our operations,” he said.
He said the military is able and willing to address drones that are deemed to pose a threat.
“If a determination is made that unauthorized drones are conducting any malign or malicious activity, commanders are authorized to take appropriate action to mitigate and counter these unmanned systems,” he said.
Ryder referred to the White House backgrounder call, saying, “out of 5,000 reported cases, about 100 of those were deemed credible enough to look into.”
Some information from ABC News and the Associated Press.
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