November 18, 2024. Seems like an unassuming day in the Northeast, but what happened that night is the exact opposite of normal. From dusk to midnight, New Jersey residents have started to spot peculiar flying objects in their skies, the earliest sightings located near the Raritan River. Many were alarmed, to say the least, taking these sightings to local police stations. This was only the beginning of a domino effect of hundreds of reported drones, public outrage, and mistrust the country has faced in the past few weeks.
The pandemic of drones has not only infected New Jersey but multiple other states as well such as New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Ohio. Despite the increasing number of sightings across the country, a limited amount of information has been gathered about the origin. Many are convinced that the influx of drones could imply foreign involvement. Government officials argue the opposite and say drones are likely not from a foreign opposition, nor do they pose a threat to the country.
New York State Police stated in a post on X that they had sustained “numerous reports of drone sightings over the past 24 hours,” and that they were probing into information that could help this investigation. They finished their statement off with a subtle reassurance, even though the people weren’t so convinced of it. “We have no evidence at this time that any of the reported sightings pose a public safety threat.”
In a joint affirmation between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on December 12, the two organizations confirmed to the public that, “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” and later adding on, “they (New Jersey law enforcement) have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage.”
This situation was popular enough that former President Joe Biden and the President-elect of the United States, Donald J. Trump, have both responded to the buzz of drama. The two leaders have opposing views of the situation, one promising that the government was still investigating the problem while the other claims the government knows something that they weren’t telling the public.
According to the former president, the confusing swarm of alleged drone sightings along the eastern coast is “nothing nefarious,” and he believes, “one (person) started (doing it) and then they all got everybody to get in on the deal.” Joe Biden reassures the public, “…but we’re following it closely. So far no sense of danger.” However, his words have not provided much reassurance for New Jersey residents and many are still anxious.
Meanwhile, Trump claims, “The government knows what is happening,” although not much has been disclosed about how much information the government has. “Look, our military knows where they took off from. If it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went. And for some reason, they don’t want to comment. And I think they’d be better off saying what it is. Our military knows and our President knows. And for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense.”
Citizens and state representatives alike have verbalized their frustration over how the federal government is reacting to this problem. An example is the New Jersey’s representatives, and how they have expressed ample concern over the situation, even calling for the drones to be shot down immediately.
“I think we’re dismissing this very prematurely. We need answers, and that was days ago. We still don’t have any answers. Crickets.” Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey has openly criticized the entire Biden administration for their poor treatment of this situation, arguing that the people deserved a better response and they deserved clear answers. “We can shoot them now, but to do it in a place where there would not be any threat to anybody on the ground,” Smith pressed. “Just do it.”
Rep. Smith’s argument to hunt down the drones is reasonable, at most, but the safety risks may outweigh this supposed ‘solution.’ One of the unsettling concerns would be fallen drones possibly injuring people or damaging property. Another reason the government hesitates to shoot these drones is that if they are legally manned aircraft, they could severely injure those inside, maybe even killing them unnecessarily, which realistically could create unnecessary mistrust and grief among the community.
“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 even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones,” John Kirby, the national security spokesman revealed. This alleviates a great number of the previously presumed ‘drone’ reports.
Despite the public’s skepticism and mistrust, the U.S. government has no doubt made efforts to investigate. Regardless if the drones are dangerous or legal/FAA registered, there unquestionably has been a disturbing effect left on our community in the past few weeks. After weeks of federal intervention, and nothing, it’s safe to say this case is closed.
