A New Jersey lawmaker claimed Wednesday that a mysterious drone over the Garden State is from Iran and is being launched from a mother ship anchored off the East Coast.
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew said during a Fox News appearance Wednesday morning that it was “very likely” the drone came from Iran, citing a confidential source.
“I’ll tell you the truth: Iran launched a mothership with these drones on board,” Van Drew said. “This is off the east coast of the United States. They launched a drone.”
“These drones should be shot down,” he said, adding that “the military is on full alert against this.”
The Pentagon later rebuked Van Drew’s claims, saying there was “no evidence” the drone belonged to a foreign enemy, but never explaining what the drone actually was.
But Van Drew backed President Biden’s statements and sent a letter imploring him to take action, offering “circumstantial evidence” to support his claims.
In a letter obtained by Agudas Israel of America News, he told the president that “a sea-based Iranian drone carrier is currently missing from port and its embarkation schedule has been delayed to New Jersey. We have received information that this coincides with the appearance of a drone.”
He added that Iran has previously sailed ships near the United States and that the country has “high-level” cooperation with China over drone technology.
“And, of course, it is the policy of the Iranian government to bring about the destruction of the United States. I’m open to alternative explanations, but other than that Iran is in control of these drones, there is no reliable and consistent story. Not presented,” Van Drew wrote.
Van Drew’s surprising claim is that officials have told Americans that drones are not a threat, even though the FBI admits it doesn’t know what they are or how to stop them. This came about through continuous communication.
Large drones have been seen flying through the night skies across Jersey for weeks, confusing residents with their mysterious flashing lights and seemingly aimless movements.
Occasionally, large numbers of objects have been seen flying in formation, and they have also begun to appear in various parts of New York.
The first reported sightings began on Nov. 18 and have continued nightly since then, said New Jersey Congresswoman Dawn Fantasia, who participated in a Congressional briefing with state police on Wednesday.
Sightings are reported from dawn to dusk, with up to 180 reports reported in one night. Last Sunday alone, 49 sightings were reported, most in New Jersey.
And their technology seems particularly sophisticated. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy explained that every time authorities begin tracking a drone, it goes “black out.”
The drones are about 6 feet in diameter and can stay airborne for up to seven hours at a time and fly at least 15 miles, authorities said.
“It is incredibly misleading to state that there are no known or credible threats, and I have communicated that belief to all parties,” Fantasia wrote in a post about X.
Fantasia points out that dealing with them has also been a bureaucratic hoop, with state police not having the authority to intercept them in the air and the FBI, working with the Department of Homeland Security, leading the investigation. , the United States explained as follows. The Coast Guard appears to have the most authority to intervene.
Congressman Van Drew said Iran recently signed a deal with China to “purchase drones, motherships and technology,” and that a mothership carrying them arrived off the East Coast “about a month ago.” He said it was indicated by intelligence agencies.
“We have to beat them,” Van Drew said. “Now they’re probably pulling information. This is a clear and present danger to the United States and the next president, and this is a serious problem.”
A senior Jersey Police official said everyone was “confused” and no one knew “what’s going on”.
“The lack of a coordinated response is concerning,” the official told the Post. “I’ve never been in a situation where no one knows what’s going on, but no one seems to be all that concerned except for the national intelligence agencies, the FAA, the FBI.”
Speculation about the object’s origin ranges from Chinese espionage to visitors from other planets to top-secret experimental military technology run by the U.S. government itself.
U.S. military officials have reportedly insisted that the drones are not part of the U.S. military or part of a covert operation, and state Sen. Doug Steinhardt (R) said Wednesday that “I want to believe it, but…” he said after meeting with state lawmakers on the issue.
“If there are people out there who really know, they’re not telling us,” Steinhardt said. “They keep emphasizing that there’s no threat, but there’s no way to find them and track them down. I can’t do that,” he said.
“But I think when people say there’s no credible threat, they’re saying they don’t know if there’s a threat. That’s alarming.”
