White House says New Jersey drones not from foreign country as lawmakers demand answers

It has been nearly a month since drones were first reported hovering over multiple New Jersey counties, and still there are no clear answers on who may be controlling the aircraft.

Most recently, on Thursday, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said in a joint statement that there is no evidence the drones pose a threat to national security or public safety.

The FBI and DHS said that both agencies were working with authorities in New Jersey and that they have reviewed images of the drones. They appear to be manned aircrafts flying legally in the area, the agencies said. There have been no reported drone sightings in restricted air spaces, they said.

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

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby echoed similar sentiments to reporters Thursday, adding that the drones residents have spotted are not U.S. military drones, and they don’t appear to be from a foreign country or entity, reported the Asbury Park Press, part of the USA TODAY network.

But New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Kanitra said the DHS told legislators something much different on Wednesday, reported the Asbury Park Press.

Kanitra said officials gave legislators specific information on the drones this week, including the fact that they fly in swarms.

Officials also said the drones fly for six to seven hours and called their battery life “extraordinary,” and they said the federal government’s radar, an electro-optical infrared camera, did not detect the drones. Normally, the camera can detect drones 1 to 2 miles away or 10 miles away for larger airborne vehicles.

“If it was ours or our government’s, we think we’d know,” Kanitra said, quoting one official.

Here’s what happened leading up to the White House’s announcement about the drones this week.

When were the drones first spotted?

Witness accounts and lawmakers said the drones are large, measure 6 feet in diameter and typically fly at night from dusk to 11 p.m., according to the Asbury Park Press.

The drones were first spotted on Nov. 18 and have since been seen frequently after that night.

Initially, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said patrolmen from law enforcement saw the drones. The prosecutor’s office said there is “no known threat to public safety” at the time.

The Federal Aviation Administration also said it could not find evidence of drone activity initially.

Which agencies are investigating?

Though there are still no answers on who is operating the drones, investigating agencies include local and state officials in New Jersey, the FBI, DHS and the FAA.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Northern Command told the Asbury Park Press that the command “conducted a deliberate analysis of the events, in consultation with other military organizations and interagency partners,” but it had not been asked to help investigate the drones.

According to the command, it “will continue to assess further information and is prepared to respond when asked or should the situation escalate to threaten any (Department of Defense) installations.”

Where have the drones been spotted?

As of this week, Homeland Security officials have confirmed that an unmanned craft flew over Naval Weapons Station Earle, Picatinny Arsenal and the National Guard, the Asbury Park Press reported.

On Sunday night, more than a dozen drones reportedly followed a 47-foot Coast Guard boat, harassing the crew, the newspaper reported.

New Jersey Assemblyman Greg Myhre said that in a briefing Wednesday, State Police Superintendent Pat Callahan mentioned a State Police helicopter hovering over one of the drones.

Once the helicopter was hovering over the drone, the drone’s lights shut off, Callahan said in the briefing. The helicopter then backed off for safety reasons.

Also on Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Van Drew told Fox News that the drones could be coming from an Iranian ship "off the East Coast of the United States of America,” a claim officials have since denied.

"These drones should be shot down,” Van Drew said. “Whether it was some crazy hobbyist that we can't imagine or whether it is Iran, and I think it very possibly could be, they should be shot down.”

When asked about shooting down the drones, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that any action taken against the drones is a decision state and local authorities have to make.

“That’s a decision for local law enforcement,” Singh said. “If a drone or, you know, any activity is a threat to military installations, they always have the right for self-defense.”

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drones over New Jersey are not from a foreign country: White House