Federal authorities are preparing to introduce an advanced drone detection system in New York State as a growing number of unidentified flying objects in the tri-state area continue to baffle experts. This came after mysterious flying objects were spotted in New Jersey sky but attempts to trace those UFOs have failed miserably.
The authorities has dismissed chances of spying from enemy countries but the mysterious UFOs have now raised major concerns among citizens. Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Sunday that the new technology will help state and local law enforcement in their efforts to investigate the mysterious drones that have been appearing in the night sky over the past month.
Fed Gearing Up to Track UFOs
"In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system to New York State," Hochul said. Despite the improvement, Hochul emphasized that further support from Congress is essential to secure additional resources.
"We are grateful to the Biden Administration for their support, but ultimately we need further assistance from Congress. Passing the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act will give New York and our peers the authority and resources required to respond to circumstances like we face today," she said.
Mysterious drones have been spotted flying across the East Coast, mainly over New Jersey, for several weeks. In December alone, there have been over 3,000 reported sightings in the Garden State, with reports dating back to November 18.
Local and state officials in New Jersey have voiced their concerns in recent days after the Biden administration's national security adviser downplayed the situation, suggesting that the strange objects are merely planes or helicopters that people are misidentifying as drones.
While drone specialists warn that the flying objects could potentially be from an enemy or even an Iranian mothership, the Pentagon has dismissed these concerns. Authorities maintain that there is no known threat associated with their presence.
Reasons to Worry
"I want to assure the American public that we are on it," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security released a joint statement on Thursday, claiming that there is " no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus."
Despite these assurances, local officials continue to push for greater transparency and additional resources to investigate the occurrences.
In Morris County, New Jersey, leaders have urged the "federal government to marshal all federal resources at its disposal, including the military, to end the unauthorized flight of drones over our county and other parts of New Jersey."
Drones, broadly defined as unmanned aerial vehicles, are widely used across the United States. According to the FAA, 791,597 drones are registered nationwide, split nearly equally between commercial and recreational use. They are commonly used in sectors such as photography, agriculture, and law enforcement.
However, confusion persists about the nature of these sightings, with uncertainty over how many may actually be cases of "mistaken identity," as suggested by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby.
