The Pentagon denied Wednesday that a string of mysterious drones over New Jersey belong to a “foreign entity or adversary,” following Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s (R-N.J.) earlier claim that they are being launched from an Iranian “mothership” in the Atlantic.
“There is not any truth to that,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh at a press briefing. “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.”
The subject has nonetheless prompted an investigation from the FBI, New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security, after residents reported seeing “hundreds” of drones, often “the size of a car,” sometimes hovering overhead nightly “for hours.”
“These are not U.S. military drones,” Singh said Wednesday. “Again, this is being investigated by local law enforcement. What our initial assessment here is [is] that these are not drones or activities coming from a foreign entity or adversary.”
The spokeswoman added that “at no point were our installations threatened” by the crafts.
Van Drew claimed Wednesday on Fox News that “very high sources” told him “Iran launched a mothership” last month that “contains these drones” and is now supposedly stationed off the East Coast of the U.S. He also published an open letter to President Joe Biden.
“They are too large and too sophisticated with their avoidance of radar detection,” Van Drew wrote about the drones. “This leaves the possibility that they are under the control of an adversarial nation. There are several pieces of circumstantial evidence that Iran is that adversary.”
Kevin Wolf/Associated Press
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While those claims were denied Wednesday, there have been dozens of unexplained sightings over New Jersey since Nov. 18, according to the BBC. Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that there were 49 sightings on Sunday alone, prompting further confusion.
“We don’t see any concerns for public safety,” he told reporters in Princeton, per NJ.com. “Having said that, it’s really frustrating that we don’t have more answers as to where they’re coming from and why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
Robert Wheeler Jr., the assistant director of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, reportedly said during a congressional hearing Tuesday that he doesn’t “have an answer of who’s responsible” — but that the bureau is “actively investigating” the matter.
