New Jersey drones latest: Conspiracies about purpose mount even as White House, Pentagon try to quell fears

Authorities in the Southern California city of San Diego reportedly tracked down a large drone that was flying near the downtown area early Tuesday.

Officers responded to reports of the drone as it moved between the city and the resort city of Coronado, according to KGTV.

It circled the area for at least an hour before police lost track of it.

There are thousands of registered drones in New Jersey.

A new tally counts 13,067 in the northeastern state, according to PIX11.

The station cited the Geographic Listing of Hobbyist & Non-hobbyist Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Registry Enrollments & Registrants.

Alex Ramos, a licensed drone operator, said he often flies his drone on the shores of Lake Ontario, which borders New York.

“I’ve flown over Lake Ontario before,” Ramos told WHEC. “Obviously not too far out in case the drone loses battery and flies away.”

Ramos reported having issues with drones at sporting events.

“I’ve spoken to some of the people at the Red Wings, and they said they had drones falling onto their field during games,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is is introducing legislation that will help authorities respond to recent drone activity.

The New York Democrat announced Tuesday he will bring the Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act to the floor to “give state and local authorities more authority and tools to track drones.”

“Drone sightings have created confusion, anxiety, and disruptions for millions in communities across the Northeast,” Schumer said, according to pressconnects.

“Local authorities can do a lot to help answer our questions, but right now they are not empowered to do so because the federal government has total jurisdiction. With thousands of local requests each year it’s important to make sure state and local agencies have the tools they need to get answers and keep communities safe.”

Lawmakers reportedly want more answers from the government regarding recent drone sightings around the eastern US.

“Why aren’t these things being intercepted?,” New Jersey Rep. Chris Smit said, according to NEXSTAR.

He said that while federal agencies insist there is no threat to public safety or national security.

“It’s not reassuring,” Smith said. “Tell us how you know that.”

Connecticut state police are reportedly using a special detection system to track drones as they fly over Northeast states.

The Coast Guard Station in New London uses a machine called a fixed drone detection system, and can track drones within a five-mile radius.

“I can’t speculate on any sightings that have been unconfirmed and I wouldn’t want to create any of that hysteria. Looking at videos I’ve seen on the news or that have been passed on to us, a lot of these have been matched up to manned aircraft flights or things that are naturally going to be in the sky,” Sergeant Kevin Pelkey, of the Connecticut State Police Drone Detection Division, told WFSB.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul told reporters on Tuesday that he believes that some unidentified drones over New York and New Jersey are “spy drones” from China.

It is unclear what evidence the Texas representative had to support these beliefs.

“We want answers but the response I’m getting is we don’t know whose drones these are,” McCaul said, according to The New York Post.

He spoke before a classified briefing to members of the House intelligence committee, the outlet reported.

After the briefing, lawmakers said the government had explained the drones as manned aircraft. Officials have repeated that there is no threat to national security or public safety. Drones have reportedly also been spotted around a US Air Force base in Germany.

“We need to identify who is behind these drones,” he said. “My judgment based on my experience is that those that are over our military sites are adversarial and most likely are coming from the People’s Republic of China.”

If drones aren’t a threat, then why did Congress receive a classified briefing? That’s one question Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder was asked on Tuesday.

“I’d have to refer you to Congress on that,” he replied.

“I can assure you ... that again we are sharing as much information as we can based on what we know.”

After Ryder’s remarks, one lawmaker that attended a classified House Intelligence Committee briefing on the matter told reporters that officials said the drones were manned aircraft.