White House: Feds Cannot ‘Corroborate’ Mysterious Drone Sightings Over New Jersey

The U.S. government has no evidence to “corroborate” the sightings of what are suspected to be large drones flying over New Jersey and other parts of the East Coast, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said on Thursday.

“Car-sized” drones have been seen over the past couple of weeks, unnerving residents in New Jersey and elsewhere. Some have been spotted near military sites and President-elect Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster. The FBI is investigating, but so far has no answers.

On Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Van Drew revealed that “qualified sources” told him the drones are coming from an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast of the U.S., although a Pentagon spokeswoman told reporters at a news conference there was “no truth” to the assertion.

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Kirby affirmed the Pentagon’s denial, declaring, “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.”

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating the “sightings” and are “working closely” with state and local law enforcement to “provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin,” Kirby continued.

John Kirby on drone activity in and around New Jersey: "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… We have not been able to…corroborate any of the reported visual sightings." pic.twitter.com/xfxFaJQUaN

— CSPAN (@cspan) December 12, 2024

“Using various sophisticated electronic detection technologies provided by federal authorities, we have not been able to, and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities, corroborate any of the reported visual sightings,” Kirby said.

“To the contrary,” he added, “upon review of available imagery it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.”

Kirby said the U.S. Coast Guard has “confirmed” that there is no evidence of foreign-based coastal vessels and insisted that there are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace.

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“That said, we certainly take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate reports, even though they have uncovered no malicious activity or intent,” he said.

Kirby said the reported sightings “highlight a gap in authorities” and therefore the White House encourages Congress to “pass important legislation that will extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities.”

Such an expansion would help ensure “we are better prepared to identify and mitigate any potential threats to airports or any other critical infrastructure and so that state and local authorities are provided all the tools they need to respond to such threats as well,” Kirby said.

.@JacquiHeinrich grills John Kirby on the drones: "The analysis thus far in an investigation that is ongoing has not revealed any national security or malicious intent, or criminal activity." pic.twitter.com/XQz26ERQY7

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) December 12, 2024

Kirby later said that he “cannot characterize for you definitely” what the sightings may be and stated that an analysis so far “has not revealed any national security or malicious intent, or criminal activity.” He also said: “We’re at the beginning here, not the end.”