People in New Jersey are angry that they haven’t been given answers about the dozens of possible drone sightings above their homes and are threatening to do something themselves if the government doesn’t start giving them answers.
A real estate agent on the Jersey Shore named James Ward posted a video on Facebook on Sunday that he said showed “SUV-size drones” flying over Island Beach State Park.
There were a lot of lights in the sky in the clip, so it’s hard to tell how big they are.
The description said, “Dozens of SUV-sized drones flying in all directions.” “What do you think about coming out at the same time, flying over the ocean, and then going in different directions?”
“Why hasn’t anyone shot one down to find the operator’s serial number and track it down?” wrote someone else. I believe that could give us a hint.
“Semi auto 3 inch magnum 00 buck full choke!” answered someone else.
Many experts say it is against the law to shoot down a drone that is flying over someone’s land.
In 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration told Forbes that it is against the law to shoot down a drone, just like it is against the law to damage any other airplane.
Three lawmakers—two Democrats and a Republican—asked the federal government to shoot down any unknown drones in the area. This led to talk of taking things into their own hands.
Investigators and officials have been asked to give answers by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for weeks.
It’s still not clear where the drones came from, and it’s also not clear that all the flying things are drones and not manned planes.
The guiding lights are a strong sign that the person flying them is not trying to hide them, say experts.
After looking at the pictures that are out there, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters Thursday that it looks like many of the sightings are actually manned planes that are operating legally.
FAA rules also say that an airplane can’t be flown in a way that is dangerous or illegal, whether it is manned or not.
However, many of the reports have been of things that look bigger than normal consumer drones, like the ones seen above Island Beach State Park.
There have been a lot of reports of drone sightings in the area, so the Army told Fox News Digital that Picatinny Arsenal had asked for and been given a temporary flight limit for its airspace until December 26.
According to the FAA, the reports are being looked into, and there are also temporary flight restrictions in place around the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.
The company told Fox News Digital, “We look into all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate when necessary.” “Drone operators who do unsafe work that puts other planes or people on the ground in danger could be fined up to $75,000.” We can also suspend or cancel the pilot certificates of people who operate drones.
“It is illegal to shoot down an airplane,” said James McDanolds, who is in charge of the School of Uncrewed Technology at Sonoran Desert Institute. “Many people have, if you will, taken matters into their own hands and shot down a drone, usually in a small area and even with a small drone. They have been fined and sent to jail for doing this.”
Since the first sightings in mid-November, people in the area and state officials have been looking for answers for weeks.
Republican State Sen. Joe Pennacchio even wrote to President-elect Trump to ask that the new administration make a probe into the matter a top priority.
Law enforcement officials from the city, county, and state are working hard to find answers, he wrote. “We don’t know if the people in our state are safe until we get these answers.” They have to get answers and directions from our government security agencies, which is a bad thing. They have been seen for almost a month now, and no answers have come from those government agencies.
House Speaker Mike Johnson in Washington, D.C., said he was looking forward to a secret meeting on the drone mystery on Thursday.
This week, FBI chiefs didn’t have many answers for the public at a hearing.
When asked in Congress if Americans are “at risk,” Robert Wheeler, who is the assistant director of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, said, “We just don’t know.” So he didn’t say that. “And that’s the scary part.”
This week, state lawmakers were unhappy with a hearing involving the FBI and other law enforcement. State Rep. Brian Bergen stormed out of the meeting and told NewsNation it was “the biggest waste of five hours in my life.”
“They have no idea where the drones are coming from or who is behind it.” “They don’t understand why they’re pulling this off,” he said. “But they say there is ‘no credible threat.'” It was a pain to be there.
On Sunday alone, 49 reports of drones were made to Gov. Murphy, most of them in Hunterdon County.
Federal officials in Southern California said Wednesday that they had arrested a Chinese citizen who they say took pictures of Vandenberg Air Force Base from a mile above using a drone that had been hacked.
According to US Attorney Martin Estrada, the suspect flew a drone over a military base and took pictures of how the base was set up, which is against the law. “The safety of our country is the most important thing, and my office will keep working to make sure that our military personnel and facilities are safe.”
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was caught on Monday, more than a week after equipment that looks for drones saw the break-in. People in New Jersey are desperate for answers because there is no known link between that case and the sightings.
Source: NJ residents threaten to deal with mystery drones themselves if the government doesn’t act
