All of those big, mysterious drones are still flitting around the skies over New Jersey, and the Garden State’s Governor, Phil Murphy, is getting a tad concerned. He’s calling on Washington to help figure out just what is going on here, what threat these things might represent, and what can be done about it.
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The answers he’s getting don’t seem very satisfactory.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on Monday that residents are understandably “frustrated” with the continued lack of answers regarding mysterious drone sightings across the state.
Murphy addressed the issue in comments to Fox News Digital, saying that both state and federal authorities have seen no reason to believe the drones pose a public safety threat. Nevertheless, he said he has little-to-no information about what the drones are or why they are appearing.
Now, hang on just a moment; if he has “little-to-no information” about what the drones are or why they are appearing, then how can he rule out their being a public safety threat? I mean, they may not be, but this seems like a case of insufficient evidence.
And Governor Murphy is concerned, no matter what has or hasn’t been ruled out.
“I don’t blame people for being frustrated,” Murphy said. “I should say, most importantly, right up front, we see – and when I say we this includes Homeland Security, FBI, Secret Service, our state police – we don’t see any concern to public safety.”
“Having said that, it’s really frustrating that we don’t have more answers as to where they’re coming from and why they’re doing what they’re doing. We had last night 49 sightings,” Murphy said, clarifying that some reports may have been mistaken or overlapping.
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My colleague Teri Christoph wrote on this issue last week:
See Related:What’s the Deal With All These ‘Mystery Drones’ Being Spotted Over New Jersey?
Apparently, we don’t know much more now than we did then.
Drone technology has come a long way in the last few years. Drones are being used to knock out point targets in Ukraine; drone swarms, both for surveillance and for engaging targets, undoubtedly have a future in warfare. They have the benefit of being small, hard to detect, cheap, and can be remotely controlled to a small point target like a house, a bunker, or a car. Drones with explosives are already being used in the Middle East.
See Related:Hezbollah Drone Strike Hits Near Israeli Kindergarten
It’s important to note that Acting President Donald Trump has a home in New Jersey. Coincidence?
The FBI is involved in the New Jersey mystery, if that’s any comfort.
“The FBI Newark, NJ State Police, and NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness are asking for the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River,” the FBI said in a statement on Dec. 3.
“Witnesses have spotted the cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed wing aircraft,” the statement continued. “We have reports from the public and law enforcement dating back several weeks.”
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I’m somewhat familiar with this general area, as some years back, while on a project in the area, we maintained an apartment in Raritan, New Jersey, only a short walk from the Raritan River. It’s unclear why drones seem to be flying in this area in particular, although there are several medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical operations in the area.
This doesn’t seem like too big a mystery to crack, honestly. Just shoot one of the things down and have a look at it. If it’s mounting cameras, take a look at what it’s taking pictures of. Figure out who’s controlling it. But this is something that FBI Newark, the NJ State Police, and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness should be, well, prepared for.