Shaun Golden, the sheriff of Monmouth County, N.J., wants federal officials to get to the bottom of mysterious drone activity in his state. Golden and other local officials are urging Gov. Phil Murphy to declare a state of emergency. “We continue to urge our governor to press the federal government to put more … resources out here,” Golden said Thursday on NewsNation, reports The Hill. “The only way we’re going to solve this is by the federal government coming in here and doing full investigations as to what these things are, how their movements are made. The White House insist that the drones do not represent a threat. The Pentagon said it does not appear that a foreign enemy is involved. Rep Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) claimed that the drones are being launched by an Iranian “mothership,” but Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh denied it. Meanwhile, Golden asked Murphy to issue an executive order banning nighttime use of recreational drones.
Many of the drones sighted are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully, a White House official said. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He added that the U.S. Coast Guard had not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels, The Guardian reports. One U.S. senator called for the drones to be “shot down, if necessary”, even as it remains unclear who owns them. “We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
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