Drones have been hugely beneficial to society over the last few years. Lately, however, it seems as though the only thing we are hearing about drones is the mysterious sightings of them in New Jersey and the surrounding areas. At a press conference on December 12, White House spokesman on national security matters, John Kirby, downplayed the mystery drone issue. He stated that the drones being reported “are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.” He continued to express that there are currently no drone threats to the American people, but that the situation will continue to be investigated.

NJ Representative and member of the Intelligence Committee, Josh Gottheimer, echoed what Mr. Kirby and NJ Governor Phil Murphy have said about the mystery drone reports. “Based on briefings I received from the FBI, Homeland Security Department and governor, I don’t think there are any immediate threats to public safety,” he said. However, he went on to emphasize the importance of transparency when he said, “The public deserves to know more, and it’s up to the FBI and Homeland Security to brief the public immediately. This can’t be the Wild West of drone activity.”

As drone sightings have spread beyond NJ, sensationalism and confusion have intensified. Adding fuel to the fire was the discovery of a large drone abandoned in New York several days after Mr. Kirby’s press conference. Police were alerted to a large drone left at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Upon arrival, officers found a drone measuring approximately 5 feet in diameter. Luckily, the police got information from someone who happened to be passing by and knew about the drone’s origin. The individual told the officers that he worked in an office within the same building that made the drone.

Upon further investigation, officers confirmed that the drone was made by sustainable energy startup Amogy Inc., which has been experimenting with using ammonia as a renewable power source for devices like drones. The startup’s CEO, Seonghoon Woo, confirmed that the drone was theirs. He went on to explain that the large drone had last been used in a demonstration three years ago. After the demonstration, the inoperable drone was left outside the building as a display piece. Apparently, Mr. Woo explained to the officers, someone had taken the drone and left it at the Navy Yard more than a month ago. After confirming with Mr. Woo, police returned the drone to Amogy as it posed no threat.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Weiner, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Counterterrorism and Intelligence, said that the reported drone sightings are most likely based on sensationalism. She pointed out that Manhattan sees about 2,000 drone flights weekly, all of which are reported and approved. “What we’ve seen over the past few days here in the city has actually been quite normal, frankly, in terms of the actual drone activity that we see every day,” she said. “You have a really strong uptick in reporting but not a strong uptick in actual drone detection, which makes sense, since all people are seeing on the news is drone sightings everywhere.”

The Department of Homeland Security and FBI released a joint statement on December 16, stating that they had received more than 5,000 reports of mysterious drones. The statement goes on to say, “Consistent with each of our unique missions and authorities, we are quickly working to prioritize and follow these leads. We have sent advanced detection technology to the region. And we have sent trained visual observers.

Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones. We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.” The statement concluded with a promise to continue vigilant monitoring procedures.

While the recent surge in reported drone sightings has sparked concern and sensationalized headlines, authorities emphasize that these incidents are largely the result of misidentifications and routine drone activity. Both local and federal agencies are working diligently to investigate these reports and ensure public safety. As technology continues to evolve, transparency and collaboration between government agencies, businesses, and the public will be crucial in managing the growing presence of drones in our airspace.

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