US Government Says Drones are ‘Lawful’ Aircraft, Stars

‘We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to…

The Epoch Times

By Zachary Stieber

The mysterious flying objects spotted in New Jersey and other states are in some cases drones and in others fixed-wing aircraft or stars, the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies said on Dec. 16.

“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, 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 stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the Pentagon, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Federal Aviation Administration said in a joint statement on the social media platform X.

The FBI has received more than 5,000 reported drone sighting tips in recent weeks, the agencies said. The tips have resulted in 100 leads. The federal government is helping state and local officials to investigate the leads and using “advanced detection technology” and “trained visual observers.”

“We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast,” the agencies said.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security told The Epoch Times earlier in the month that there was no evidence showing the drone sightings posed a national security or public safety threat or had a foreign nexus.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters in a briefing on Monday that there was no sign the drones are being controlled by a foreign country…