Mysterious drone activity has been reported over parts of New Jersey and Staten Island, New York, fueling speculation about espionage or covert operations. The first sightings were noted on November 18, and reports have surged, with 49 incidents logged last Sunday alone.
Eyewitness Phil Doyle described the activity to NBC: “One flies by, then another, 30 of them a night, and they have lights!” In one alarming incident, 12 drones reportedly followed a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, heightening public concern.
Federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, are actively investigating. According to ABC News, advanced detection systems and infrared cameras have been deployed to track the drones’ movements.
President-elect Donald Trump also voiced his unease, stating, “Something strange is happening here.” Trump canceled a planned visit to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, citing the situation. “I don’t think I’ll spend the weekend in Bedminster. I’ve decided to cancel my trip,” Trump remarked. He urged the Biden administration to be more transparent, adding, “The government knows what’s going on. Our military knows where [the drones] are launching from.” However, he declined to provide evidence for his claims or confirm whether he had received intelligence briefings.
The White House has downplayed the concerns, stating that “many” of the drones in question are being operated legally. Despite these assurances, theories about the mysterious activity continue to swirl.
Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew suggested the drones could be linked to Iranian espionage, possibly launched from a “mothership” stationed off the Atlantic coast. Van Drew cited unnamed high-ranking sources to support his claims.
Other Republican lawmakers suspect foreign actors, such as China or Russia, are behind the incidents, using drones to gather intelligence on U.S. military installations and infrastructure. These suspicions were fueled by the recent arrest of Chinese national Yinpiao Zhou in California for flying a drone over the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Meanwhile, former special forces operative Clint Emerson offered an alternative explanation in the New York Post, speculating that the drones might be part of classified U.S. military tests. “Such operations, involving new technologies, are conducted under strict confidentiality, with details known only to a select few,” Emerson noted.
As investigations continue, the mysterious drone phenomenon has sparked both public anxiety and political debate, with no definitive answers yet in sight.
