President-elect Donald Trump has called for drones to be shot down as the FBI receives thousands of tips over mysterious sightings in several US states.
Several unmanned aerial vehicle (UAS) sightings across New Jersey, New York and other US states have prompted concern and calls for an official investigation.
Earlier this week, an FBI official told Congress that the bureau had received over 3,000 tips from the public about these incursions, according to CBS.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday they are continuing to “investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings”.
The agencies said they have not corroborated any of the reported sightings with electronic detection, and that reviews of available images appear to show many of the reported drones are actually manned aircraft.
The Pentagon have also said they are not US military drones.
A photo of reported drones flying over Randolph, New Jersey. (AP: MartyA45_ /TMX)
‘Shoot them down!’: Donald Trump weighs in on sightings
Incoming president Donald Trump has become the latest politician to call for transparency over the sightings.
“Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge,” he wrote on social media platform Truth Social.
“I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now.
“Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he wrote.
Trump says the drone UAS’s should be shot down if they can’t be identified. (AP: Alex Brandon)
Earlier, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy shared a letter he had written to President Joe Biden, asking for “more resources” to fully understand the sightings.
“New Jersey residents deserve more concrete information about these UAS sightings and what is causing them,” he wrote.
“I respectfully urge you to continue to direct the federal agencies involved to work together until they uncover answers as to what is behind the UAS sightings.”
Meanwhile, New York State Police said they were investigating numerous reports over the past 24 hours and sharing information with federal authorities.
“We have no evidence at this point that any of the reported sightings pose a public safety threat,” they added.
‘Size of a school bus’: New Jersey eyewitness
New Jersey TV producer Evan Cutler said he saw an object heading towards himself that he originally thought was the Moon.
“Then I think, ‘maybe it’s a helicopter?’ No, it’s not a helicopter,” he told Reuters.
“And it looks like, I guess, an enormous drone. I’m not even sure what it…I’ve never seen anything like it.
“It’s just a drone on steroids.”
As Mr Cutler stopped his car to take a photo of the object, it immediately started zooming away.
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“It was just about the size of a school bus, hovering about 150ft over the trees,” he said.
“And I can’t take my eyes off it.”
Maryland governor criticises government
Some governors have also taken matters into their own hands, posting footage of their own sightings.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan documented what he deemed “dozens of large drones in the sky” near his residence outside of Annapolis.
“The public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government,” he said on social media platform X.
“The government has the ability to track these from their point of origin but has mounted a negligent response.
“People are rightfully clamouring for answers, but aren’t getting any.”
He called the response “entirely unacceptable”.
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New Jersey Senator Andy Kim also captured footage of what he said was a clusters of drones and said people had called the drones the “size of the hood of a car”.
“It’s hard to understand how with the technology we have we aren’t able to track these devices to determine origin and this makes me much more concerned about our capabilities more broadly when it comes to drone detection and counter measures,” he added.
Drones have also been spotted in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Staten Island.
Drones over international air base
Drones were also spotted over US air bases at Ramstein, Germany in early December, authorities confirmed.
There were “no impacts to base residents, facilities, or assets,” a US Air Force spokesperson said on Friday.
“In concert with host nation authorities, we continue to monitor the airspace to ensure safety and security of the community,” they added.
Multiple drones are seen over Bernardsville, New Jersey. (AP: Brian Glenn/TMX)
The drone sightings over Ramstein were first reported by German news magazine Spiegel, which said a report by German security authorities had flagged a number of unexplained drone sightings over the base in the evening hours of December 3 and 4.
ABC/Reuters
