Pentagon shoots down Iran 'mothership' claim amid New Jersey drone mystery
The Pentagon shot down a congressman's claim that an Iranian "mothership" is behind large drones spotted over New Jersey in recent weeks, while officials in the state are demanding a stronger federal response and transparency in connection with the mysterious, unexplained sightings.
Since mid-November, large drones of uncertain origin have been repeatedly spotted in the sky at night over central and northern New Jersey, including near a military installation.
State and local officials convened at a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning at the New Jersey State Police headquarters with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security to address the matter, according to several officials in attendance.
It remains unclear who is operating the drones, according to a DHS handout released by Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, who attended the meeting.
"At this time, according to the FBI, there are no known specific or credible threats related to these sightings," the handout stated.
There have been reports ranging from four to 180 sightings per night, according to New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who attended the meeting. The drones "operate in a coordinated manner" and have not been identified as hobbyist drones or ones related to DHS, she said.
Several officials said following the meeting that they were not assuaged by the DHS response.
Ghassali said it has only "heightened my apprehensions regarding the federal government's approach to this critical issue."
"The message conveyed was that there is no credible threat, yet they are flying over critical infrastructure, and their point of origin and destination remain unidentified," he said in a statement. "They will eventually find out but for now, we don't know anything else."
New Jersey state Sen. Holly Schepisi called the DHS response "abysmal."
"[It] actually made me feel less confident in our federal government's reaction to this issue rather than more," she said in a statement. "For the federal government to not dedicate every defense resource needed to identify the origin and purpose of these drones in the most densely populated state in the nation is inexplicable and completely unacceptable."
Fantasia said "we know nothing" and to "state that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I informed all officials of that sentiment."
Following the meeting, New Jersey state Sen. Jon Bramnick urged the Department of Defense to investigate and reiterated his call for a limited state of emergency in the state.
"The Department of Defense must investigate and until that occurs we must shut down the airspace to drones. That would require a limited state of emergency and FAA cooperation," he said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the FBI, which is the leading agency investigating the sightings, said it is "doing all we can [to] figure out what's going on."
"The public can continue to call our 800 line, or submit a tip online, we are acting on every substantive lead that we get," the FBI spokesperson said.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed temporary drone flight restrictions over Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Somerset County in response to reported drone activity.
"Safely integrating drones into the National Airspace System is a key priority for the FAA," the agency said in a statement earlier this month. "We look into all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate when appropriate."
New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew criticized the FAA for its inability to locate the drones during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's hearing earlier Wednesday.
"We have a serious problem with our aerospace. The recent sightings of unidentified drones in the state of New Jersey, my home state, is justifiably causing tremendous public concern," he said.
Van Drew said the drones are "large" and "sophisticated" and alleged the presence of an "Iranian mothership" responsible for them, though he did not provide evidence to support his claims.
"I've learned, for real, that there is circumstantial evidence that there's an Iranian mothership off the East Coast of the United States, and that's launching these drone incursions," he said.
He said he is concerned at this time with identifying his sources but said they are "individuals who are reputable, individuals who speak with authority."
The Pentagon shot down Van Drew's claim.
"There is not any truth to that -- there is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there's no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States," deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Wednesday.
Singh said there is no evidence the drone activity is coming from any foreign entity or is the work of an adversary.
"We're going to continue to monitor what is happening," she said, adding, "At no point were our installations threatened when this activity was occurring."
Van Drew doubled down in an interview with ABC News following the Pentagon's briefing, saying there is a "real possibility that it is a foreign entity." He said his "well-placed" sources believe there is a possibility the drones are Iranian, and that there could be a mothership hundreds of miles off the U.S. coast.
"They say to us there's nothing to fear, but we have no idea who it is, where it comes from, what it's about and what it can do," he said.
Van Drew proposed that flight restrictions be placed over the New Jersey airspace "and an order be given to neutralize any drone aircraft in violation of those restrictions" in a letter addressed to President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
“In neutralizing these drones we must ensure the safety of people on ground and should also attempt to keep the drones intact so that we may study their capabilities," he wrote.
New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith has called on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to help identify and address the widespread drone activity over the state.
"As you no doubt are also aware, there have been numerous instances of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flying over New Jersey, including in close proximity to sensitive sites and critical infrastructure, to include military installations located in my district," he stated in a letter to Lloyd on Tuesday.
He noted that Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) possesses the capability to identify and take down unauthorized unmanned aerial systems.
"I urgently request all capabilities possessed by the Department of Defense, especially those in use by JBMDL to be immediately deployed to identify and address the potential threats posed by UAS over the state of New Jersey," he said.
During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Smith said an officer saw "50 drones" coming in off the ocean earlier this week in Ocean County. He has also said that a U.S. Coast Guard commanding officer stationed in Barnegat Light reported that "between 12 and 30" drones were following a USCG motor lifeboat over the weekend.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has called for greater transparency from federal authorities on the unexplained drone activity in a letter on Tuesday to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
"I recognize the need to maintain operational security of ongoing investigations and that this situation requires complex interagency coordination. However, there is a growing sense of uncertainty and urgency across the state -- from constituents and local officials alike -- despite assurances that the drones pose no known threats to public safety," he stated in the letter. "As such, I urge you to share any relevant information about these drone sightings with the public. Without transparency, I believe that rumors, fear, and misinformation will continue to spread."
The public should be "immediately briefed" by federal agencies, including the FBI, FAA and DHS, on what they know, New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer said.
"I think people have a right to know what's going on," he told ABC News Live anchor Kayna Whitworth on Wednesday.
Gottheimer, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, noted he is "not concerned there's any imminent threats to security" in New Jersey or D.C. based on the briefings he's had.
"That said, you can't just fly drones anywhere," he said. "This can't just be game on. We need to know who these drones belong to, where they're coming from. And if they're not welcome, we've got to take them out."
Police in Warren County, New Jersey, have also expressed frustration at the "lack of transparency" over the drone activity.
"We are shocked by the lack of response or update from Federal and State officials," Chief Scott D. Robb, president of the Warren County Police Chief's Association, said in a statement Wednesday. "We do not agree with their response that there is no known threat to the public at this time. It is our stance that just the unidentified drone flying over us is a threat in itself."
DHS said in its handout on the New Jersey drones that there have been other drone sightings "of this type" both nationally and internationally.
Biden has been briefed on the drones and is "closely tracking the activity" and "coordinating closely" with DHS and the FBI to continue investigating these incidents, the White House said Tuesday.
"This is something that DHS and FBI are tracking very, very closely," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.
The U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) is also monitoring reports of "unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey," a spokesperson said.
"Local law enforcement and the FBI are currently investigating," the spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that at this time NORTHCOM has not been requested to assist with the events but is prepared to respond "when asked or should the situation escalate to threaten any DoD installations."
ABC News' Jay O'Brien, Alexandra Faul, Ayesha Ali and Matthew Seyler contributed to this report.
