Gov. Murphy requests more resources to solve drone mystery in letter to President Biden
Local leaders demanding answers for unexplained drones over New Jersey
Local leaders are demanding answers as unexplained drone sightings over New Jersey continue. Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday penned a letter to President Joe Biden demanding more resources be put forth to investigate the origins of the aircrafts.
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden Friday requesting more resources in order to get to the bottom of recent drone sightings.
The letter comes as frustrations about the lack of answers grows among local residents and lawmakers.
Murphy shared the two-page letter on social media Friday, nothing that existing laws limit the ability of state and local governments to counter unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). He says ‘more federal resources are needed to understand what is behind this activity.’
"The proliferation of this technology has introduced additional risks to public safety, privacy, and homeland security, while state and local law enforcement entities remain hamstrung by existing laws and policies to successfully counteract them, leaving action around UAS squarely on the shoulders of the federal government," Murphy wrote.
The Garden State governor says that New Jersey State Police have been receiving reports of drone sightings since Nov. 18.
"While I am sincerely grateful for your administration’s leadership I addressing this concerning issue, it has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what is behind this activity," Murphy wrote.
"New Jersey residents deserve more concrete information about these UAS sightings and what is causing them," he added. "The continued reporting of UAS activity has raised more questions than answers and prompted an outcropping of conspiracy theories across social media and other platforms."
On Thursday, the White House addressed the recent sightings, claiming that many ‘drone sightings’ were actually lawfully operated manned aircraft. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby added that they have no evidence that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat.