Update:
A law enforcement source told ABC News on Monday morning that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have deployed infrared cameras and other drone detection sensors across New Jersey and New York to capture clear footage of the reported drone sightings.
Additional color on the situation from ABC's 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 other 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.
There have been over 1,000 reported sightings in New Jersey, with some witnesses saying they've spotted 'truck-sized' drones.
As we've previously noted: "NJ Drone 'Invasion' Just In Time For Congress To Reauthorize Orwellian Law."
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Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday called for the federal government to use its powers to identify who is behind the mysterious drones being reported hovering in U.S. airspace above concerned residents.
“New Yorkers have tremendous questions about it. We are going to get the answers for them,” Schumer told reporters after he asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deploy their drone-tracking technology to identify the unidentified drones and their operators.
He suggested the federal government use a recently declassified radio wave technology to investigate the flying objects. The radio wave detector can be attached to a drone or airplane and can determine whether another flying object is a bird or a drone, read its electronic registration, and follow it back to its landing place.
So far, briefings by government officials regarding drones sightings reported in multiple locations across the United States have added little clarity to the situation.
“There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “But I want to assure the American public that we are on it. We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities.”
Some of the drones reported in parts of New York and New Jersey have turned out to be “manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones,” Mayorkas said. “We know of no foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the Northeast. And we are vigilant in investigating this matter.”
Mayorkas said that certain agencies within DHS have the power to “incapacitate” drones. “But we need those authorities expanded,” he said.
Members of Congress from both political parties are demanding transparency, better technology, and more power to deal with the drones. Schumer noted that state and local authorities do not have the authority to track drones.
Many are voicing support for passing the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act to strengthen FAA oversight of drones and extend authorities to track drones to state and local authorities. UAS stands for unmanned aerial vehicle.
Over the last month, dozens of unidentified drone-like objects have been reported flying in from the ocean over parts of New Jersey, including residential areas, each night, raising concerns about safety and national security. Initial reports had the objects flying near Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility.
This week, more potential sightings were reported along the northern East Coast, as well as in other parts of the country like California, according to news reports. While some sightings were actually of commercial planes mistaken for drones, others have been confirmed as sightings of unidentified drones.
Drones are legal in the state as long as they comply with local and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must also be FAA certified.
Last year, federal aviation rules also began requiring that drones weighing 0.55 pounds (250 grams) or more broadcast real-time their remote identification, including the location of their operators, to improve the safety and security of U.S. airspace.
“What the drone issue points out are gaps in our agencies, gaps in our authorities between the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement, the Defense Department,” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who has been chosen to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s national security adviser, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“Americans are finding it hard to believe we can’t figure out where these are coming from.’’
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) also said on “Fox News Sunday,” “There’s a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now.”
“‘We don’t know’ is not a good enough answer.”
On Saturday, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said he believes that the source of drone activity was the U.S. government, and urged for transparency with the public over the mysterious aerial activity, which has also been reported at U.S. military facilities overseas, including the U.S. Air Force base at Ramstein, Germany.
“I don’t believe that they’re commercial,” Malliotakis told “Fox Report” on Saturday, saying that it was unlikely commercial flights are violating FAA regulations by flying late at night.
“I would think that if it was a foreign government, with our military capabilities, we would be taking significant action. It does seem to me that this would be activity from our own government. I’m not sure if it’s related to counterterrorism efforts or what exactly is the purpose, but they should be honest and just tell the public.
“When people are nervous, when people are concerned, it leads to all sorts of theories, all sorts of misinformation being spread, and that is exactly what you’re seeing take place.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sunday that the Biden Administration has agreed to send a drone detection system to her state.
“I am grateful for the support, but we need more. Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones,” she said on X.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also asked the Biden administration for more resources to investigate the drones.
White House national security communications advisor John Kirby previously said the drones reported in New Jersey are not a threat to national security.
“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,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said during a Dec. 12 press briefing.
Trump has called for U.S. officials to provide transparency to the American people about the origin of the drones.
“Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” the president-elect wrote on social media on Dec. 13.
