Van Drew Wants Mysterious Drones Over N.J. Shot Down

South Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew wants President Biden to take immediate action to eliminate the threat of mysterious drones flying over New Jersey, fearing that they may have been launched by an Iranian ship to spy on the United States.

Van Drew sent a letter Wednesday to Biden urging him to impose flight restrictions on the drones and to issue an order “to neutralize them as soon as possible,” including shooting them down.

“It has come to my attention that New Jersey drone incursions may be an operation by the Iranian government to undermine the national security of the United States of America. I urge you to act swiftly,” Van Drew said in the letter. (Click here to read the full letter).

Scores of drones have been spotted in recent weeks flying over New Jersey, including some over sensitive sites. The Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. Army research and manufacturing facility in Morris County, had 11 confirmed drone sightings overhead, according to nj.com.

So far, federal and state authorities, including Gov. Phil Murphy, have said that the drones do not appear to be a threat to public safety, nj.com reported.

However, Van Drew believes the drones “could be the work of foreign adversaries, specifically Iran,” and could pose a threat to U.S. security.

“Our military does not generally test experimental aircraft in such populated areas, and I would hope that the military would have clarified this situation if it were responsible. This leaves the possibility that they are under the control of an adversarial nation," Van Drew said in his letter to Biden.

State Sen. Vince Polistina, who represents Atlantic County, said he has not heard what Van Drew is claiming.

“Definitely not. I spoke with some of the people at the 177th Fighter Wing, and they said it was just a normal Wednesday,” Polistini said of the New Jersey Air National Guard base in Egg Harbor Township. “If Iran had a ship off our coast, I would expect a lot more activity at the base."

A Pentagon spokesperson said there is no validity to Van Drew’s theory that the drones could be coming from an Iranian mothership anchored off the East Coast, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Van Drew, a Republican who was re-elected in November, represents the sprawling 2nd Congressional District. The district includes the Jersey Shore towns, the Delaware Bay and some of the state’s most rural communities. Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties make up the core areas, with parts of Gloucester and Ocean counties also included in the district.

Van Drew posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the drones appear to be flying in from the direction of the ocean and are possibly linked to a “missing Iranian mothership.” He called the drones alarming for U.S. security.

“This is a national security crisis we cannot ignore. Bring them down now,” he posted.

    Mysterious drones light up the sky above New Jersey. (Photo from New York Times)
  

Van Drew serves as vice chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is a member of the Aviation Subcommittee. In a news release, he said he has been meeting with officials to gather information on the drone sightings.

"What we have uncovered so far is deeply troubling," he said in the release. “There is circumstantial evidence that suggests these drones could be the work of foreign adversaries, specifically Iran. Right now, we know that there are drones flying in from the direction of the ocean. We also know there is an Iranian drone mothership that is missing from port in Iran, with a timeline matching the emergence of these drones.”

Van Drew also said that the drone operators have expertly navigated around areas of radar coverage to avoid detection. He wants the government to take immediate action by imposing flight restrictions to regain control.

“Whether this is a foreign adversary or even just a group of drone hobbyists, we cannot allow unidentified drones to operate freely in our airspace with no consequences and it is time we eliminate the threat they pose and shoot them down,” he said in the release.

Congressman Chris Smith, a Republican representing New Jersey’s 4th District, said during a Homeland Security subcommittee hearing on Tuesday that he was told a Coast Guard boat off the Jersey Shore was followed by as many as 30 drones.

Since the drone sightings began in November, they have been spotted in more than a dozen New Jersey counties, including as far south as Camden County and parts of the Jersey Shore, according to nj.com.

Although social media has been inundated with videos and comments about unidentified drone sightings – some as large as small vehicles – especially in the Ocean County area, local police in the Downbeach communities have not received any reports of unidentified drones operating in the skies above Absecon Island.

“We have not received any calls about drone sightings in Ventnor,” Police Chief Joseph Fussner said Wednesday afternoon.

Ventnor is the only Downbeach community that has an ordinance requiring drone operators to obtain permission from the police chief before operating a drone or unmanned aircraft above public buildings and property, including municipal parks.

Longport Police Chief Frank Culmone said drones have not been reported in Longport at this time, but the lack of communication from government officials about the sightings is “troubling.”

“To date there has been no communication to local law enforcement regarding these drones, their origin or their purpose,” Culmone said. “We are hearing that these Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) pose no threat. I question how that is determined if it is not known where they originate and their purpose?”

Police chiefs in the Atlantic County towns of Somers Point, Pleasantville and Galloway Township said they have no drone reports.

   Cape May County Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio says the county is taking steps to prepare for any drone sightings.   

Cape May County officials are reaching out to state and federal law enforcement agencies to prepare for any possible drone flyovers in New Jersey’s southernmost county.

Cape May County Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio, who also serves as mayor of Sea Isle City, said he has been discussing a course of action with the county’s Emergency Management Director Christopher Leusner.

“It is a bit disconcerting that it appears that the origins and landing locations of these drones have not yet been identified. It is somewhat reassuring that the drones have apparently not engaged in any hostile actions in other parts of the state, but we want to be prepared in Cape May County to be able to advise the public and perhaps bring in assets to track these UAVS in order to ensure public safety should they begin to appear in large numbers over our part of the state,” Desiderio said in a statement.

Leusner is urging the public not to attempt to interfere with or bring down a drone if one is spotted in Cape May County.

“We are collecting as much data as we possibly can and consulting with experts about how best to evaluate any drone sightings in Cape May County from a public safety standpoint,” Leusner said. “Our focus is to be prepared to provide as much information as possible to folks on the ground if these drones begin to appear over Cape May County in large numbers, and to work together with those agencies having authority over the skies above Cape May County to ensure public safety moving forward."