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NJ officials hold special meeting with Regional Operations and Intelligence Center
Lawmakers gathered in the Garden State to discuss the recent sightings of large drones in the sky as investigators continue searching for answers.
MOUNT LAUREL, NJ - Elected officials are sounding off on the presence of hundreds of unidentified drones spotted lighting up the skies in New Jersey and in Philadelphia.
"I’ve seen them, yes, it’s kind of scary when you are driving around the road at night and you see these lights coming towards you in the sky, you don’t know what it is," said Ann Mcilhenny of Mount Laurel.
"If there was something up there that was not supposed to be up there, the F35’s, the
F18’s, multiple radars, missile silos, multiple military things that are in New Jersey alone, I don’t think they would last longer than five seconds in the sky," said Michael O’Neill, of Medford Lakes.
Wednesday afternoon, a special meeting about the drones was held at the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center at the New Jersey State Police Division Headquarters.
We are told by Governor Phil Murphy's office that he did not attend this meeting and that it was held by administration members for local elected officials.
Last week, Governor Murphy held a meeting with Homeland Security, State Police, and the States Congressional Delegation.
The Governor has mentioned in the past that there is no known threat to the public at this time.
Wednesday, New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew sent a letter to President Biden demanding flight restrictions and to issue an order to neutralize them as soon as possible.
‘Iranian mothership’ behind mystery drone sightings, New Jersey congressman suggests
An 'Iranian mothership' could be behind a series of recent drone sightings in New Jersey, Rep. Jeff Van Drew said in an interview Wednesday citing 'very high sources.' He also called for the drones to be shot down.
This comes after the Congressman spoke on Fox News about where his high level sources are telling him these drones may have come from.
"Know that Iran made a deal with China to purchase drones, motherships and technology to go forward. These drones should be shot down. Whether it was some crazy hobbyist that we can’t imagine or whether it is Iran, I think it very possibly could be, it should be shot down," said Congressman Van Drew.
Which those within the Department of Defense spoke against those allegations.
"There is not any truth to that, there is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States," said Sabrina Singh the Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary.
The FBI declined an interview but released this statement saying:
"The FBI is aware of reported sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—commonly referred to as drones—observed flying in multiple locations over the past several weeks. The FBI remains engaged with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners to share information and protect the public. UAVs that pose a danger to any aircraft or are observed operating in restricted airspace or near critical infrastructure and other sensitive sites, can be reported to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI(1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov."