New Jersey officials expressed disappointment following the drone meeting.

New Jersey officials expressed disappointment following the drone meeting.

In New Jersey, state and local officials seeking to find out more about the enigmatic drones seen in the night sky had a disappointing day. * "The biggest issue is that we still don't have a lot of answers," said Senator Declan O'Scanlon (R-NJ, 13th District).* At the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center in Ewing, state police officers briefed state lawmakers and mayors in a crowded room. The invited officials claimed they were not given much information, but they were assured that the federal government would be heavily involved in solving the problem. * "I think we'll get some more advanced radar from the federal government in the coming week," O'Scanlon stated. *"I believe there is a lot more we can learn."*

Many officials said they left with even more questions than they had when they arrived, despite appreciating the openness of the discussion and the work of law enforcement. * Ryan Herd, the mayor of Pequannock Township, stated, "We were talking about this just last night, and there were 180 drone sightings." * "Drones are literally flooding us, and we don't know who is piloting them or where they're coming from."*

Frustrated, Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-NJ, 26th District) said, * "We don't know anything, and we're not even sure if we'll ever find out." However, we have contacted Homeland Security, and they may be able to give us some details.

Come on, I mean.* The public has been repeatedly reassured by officials such as Governor Phil Murphy that there is no threat to public safety. Some mayors, nevertheless, don't agree. * "The size and weight of these things pose a risk," stated Mine Hill Township Mayor Sam Morris, "and I think all the mayors here would agree." * "They're big, and they'll come crashing down if they lose power or short circuit."

Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey described occurrences that happened in his Jersey Shore district earlier this week during a drone hearing on Capitol Hill. * "We had a number of further sightings last night, including one that was reported by a Coast Guard commanding officer. One of their 47-foot motor lifeboats was moving through the sea when he mentioned that a group of 12 to 30 drones were following it. * Smith (R-NJ, 4th District) stated, "They were right behind them, following them closely."* The Pentagon made it clear Wednesday that the drones are not part of the U.S. military and are not thought to be from any hostile or foreign country at this time.

Are Coast Guard vessels being pursued by drones? New Jerseyans are calling for answers.

There are no answers every day, and it appears that New Jersey's drone worries are growing more intense. As grave worries about possible risks to homeland security continue to mount, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) wrote a letter today urging U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to promptly use all available resources to identify and address the pervasive drone activity in New Jersey. Smith's letter comes after a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) commanding officer based at Barnegat Light briefed him about a USCG motor lifeboat being closely tracked by over a dozen drones over the weekend. Smith continued, "As you are undoubtedly aware, there have been multiple incidents of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flying over New Jersey."

"As you are aware, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) has the ability to identify and eliminate unapproved unmanned aerial systems, and this capability has been used to deal with those flying over the installation," Smith continued. In order to detect and counter the possible dangers posed by UAS over the state of New Jersey, I am asking that the Department of Defense immediately deploy all of its capabilities, including those utilized by JBMDL." Smith voiced serious concerns about the possible dangers posed by drones after spending hours on Monday night watching the sky over New Jersey at the sheriff's mobile command center with Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy.

Answers, not platitudes, are needed to address the grave concerns of New Jerseyans, Smith said. "The time to act is now." The main question for everyone waiting for answers, including public officials, as the drone issue garners national attention, is: If we can detect issues and reduce risks if needed, only 18 miles south of Trenton, what is stopping the public from getting the fundamental answers that have grown into grave concerns?