Unidentified drones are flying over large areas across the United States, but Americans across the country have no idea who is operating them and for what purpose.

Americans began reporting mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey in mid-November, and in the weeks that followed, sightings increased in the skies over New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other places. Government officials face pressure from the public for answers, but have yet to provide anything resembling a coherent and comprehensive explanation of what is really going on. (Related article: The US believes China has canceled its spy balloon operation following the shooting down in February, increasing tensions)

Above the drones swarming the skies of New Jersey, @PresSec Biden said he was aware of the situation and that WH was following the incident closely alongside the FBI.

More details from my colleagues here, @evannatta1776 of @DailyCallerabout what’s happening in the states:https://t.co/naMAvVn1hK

— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) December 10, 2024

The government’s apparent refusal to give clear answers has fueled speculation about what the drones are doing and for whom, similar to the Chinese reconnaissance balloon that crossed the continental United States in 2023. , a quiet effort to find radioactive material missing along the East Coast from an air raid from a hostile country. Mayor Michael Melham of Belleville, New Jersey, linked the drone to an unspecified “threat coming in from Port Newark” and suggested the missing radioactive material may have something to do with the sighting.

During the reconnaissance balloon incident, the government refused to shoot down or otherwise confront the aircraft as it drifted over sensitive locations as it crossed the United States, crossed the North Carolina coastline and crossed the Atlantic Ocean. After the Biden administration decided to leave the balloon alone and cut off its intelligence-gathering capabilities in the meantime, U.S. officials said: NBC News In April 2023, it was reported that the ship was able to collect information about sensitive sites and transmit it to Beijing.

The Biden administration has not provided answers, even though drone sightings have been reported in civilian areas and near sensitive areas such as President-elect Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf club and parks. . picatinny arsenal. Picatinny Arsenal is a military facility that “leads the research, development, acquisition, and lifecycle management of advanced conventional weapons systems and munitions.” According to to the Department of Defense (DOD).

Sightings have also been reported near Naval Weapons Station Earle, another military installation in New Jersey, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. pentagon claimed “We don’t necessarily see a connection” to sightings reported elsewhere in the country, he said.

U.S. officials said reportedly Drone detection equipment sent to New Jersey, Connecticut State Police also mobilized Detection technology to uncover the truth behind sightings reported over the state. Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella spoke Friday in New York City. said Drones have been seen near critical infrastructure, including major bridges, Port Liberty, New York, and military installations.

At a news conference Friday, Fossella called on government officials to “be honest with the American people and treat them like adults.”

Reported drone activity also closure The plane spent about an hour on the runway at New York’s Stewart International Airport on Friday evening.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul: “We want answers, and the answer we’re getting is we don’t know whose drone it is.” said Tuesday. “I was with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and he said these drones have been reported over military installations and military bases. I don’t think they’re friendly. I think they are hostile.”

“We need to determine who is behind these drones,” McCall said. “My judgment, based on my experience, is that those in the air over our military locations are hostile and likely coming from the People’s Republic of China.”

John Kirby, White House National Security Council Press Secretary, said: appeared Appearing on Fox News on Friday, he explained that the drones pose no obvious security risk, but also acknowledged that the federal government does not have an explanation for all sightings.

The FBI, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) joint statement Tuesday to explain the situation to the public and appeal to them to remain calm.

“After careful review of technical data and information from relevant members of the public, sightings to date include a combination of legal commercial, hobbyist, and law enforcement drones, as well as inadvertently manned fixed-wing drones. “We assess the aircraft to include aircraft, helicopters, and star drones,” the statement said. “We have not observed anything unusual and have not assessed any prior activity that poses a national security or public safety risk to the civil airspace of New Jersey or any other state in the Northeast.”

“Additionally, there have been a limited number of drone sightings over military installations in New Jersey and other areas, including restricted airspace,” the statement said. “Sightings like this near or over Department of Defense facilities are not new. The Department of Defense takes unauthorized access over our airspace seriously and calls for assistance from federal, state, and local law enforcement as appropriate. We are working closely with authorities. Local commanders are actively working to ensure appropriate detection and mitigation measures are in place.”

President Joe Biden also directly addressed the drone sightings in response to questions from reporters, downplaying the potential danger.

“It’s obviously not malicious, but they’re scrutinizing everything,” Biden told reporters this week. “We are closely monitoring this situation and there is no immediate threat.”

Meanwhile, members of the House Intelligence Committee were briefed Tuesday to learn more about what is, or isn’t, happening in America’s skies. roll call reported The conclusion of the meeting was that most of the reported drone sightings turned out to be clearly false alarms or misidentifications, and the lawmakers in attendance generally agreed that nothing bad was happening in the skies.

The Pentagon told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday that it had no additional information to provide beyond what Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at the briefing. Tuesday briefing session In it, he stood by the Biden administration’s claims about the drones and who is piloting them. The FBI declined to comment further beyond what was included in the joint interagency statement.

However, Trump himself said On Monday, the Biden administration said it “knows what’s going on” regarding the unexplained sightings and said it would “be better off” if the government were on par with the public. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said: called The Biden administration called on Wednesday to “do your job” and let the public know what’s going on, given “people don’t believe the answers” provided so far.

DHS did not respond to requests for comment.

All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.