Mysterious drones in NY paralyze airport operations: Governor
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Drone activity temporarily closed runways at NY airport, governor says, adding that "this has gone too far."
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Several drones appeared to be flying over Randolph, NJ on December 4, 2024. (AP)
Unidentified drones have halted operations at Stewart Airport in New York, and the ongoing issue with these mysterious drones, which has been unsettling Americans for weeks, has now "gone too far," according to Governor Kathy Hochul.
In a statement, Hochul said, "Last night, the runways at Stewart Airfield were shut down for approximately one hour due to drone activity in the airspace. This has gone too far." The state governor also called for federal assistance amid the incident.
The FBI had previously stated that it had received public reports about groups of drones flying over the state for several weeks.
Local authorities have called on federal agencies to investigate the situation, as the state hosts military installations, critical infrastructure, and properties linked to US President-elect Donald Trump. The drones are said to disappear as soon as they are detected.
The Pentagon has maintained that the aerial activity over New Jersey did not originate from foreign adversaries of the United States.
The drones have been spotted over New York, New Jersey, and other states in the Northeast, sparking concern and confusion. Some lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. and New Jersey Republican Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, have called on the military to shoot them down.
Experts, however, have said that shooting them poses a safety risk and is illegal.
Hochul stated that she has instructed the New York State Intelligence Center to actively investigate the drone sightings and work with federal law enforcement to address the issue. The governor confirmed that the efforts are still ongoing.
"But in order to allow state law enforcement to work on this issue, I am now calling on Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act," she said.
"This bill would reform legal authorities to counter-UAS and strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones, and would extend counter-UAS activities to select state and local law enforcement agencies."
'Shoot them down': Trump demands
On Saturday, US President-elect Donald Trump expressed alarm over reports of mysterious drones being spotted across the United States.
Taking to Truth Social, he wrote, "Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge? I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!"
In a related context, US House Intelligence Committee member Josh Gottheimer has criticized the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security for withholding information about mysterious drones spotted over New Jersey and New York suburbs in recent weeks.
Gottheimer stated in an interview for CNN that the FBI and DHS “have a responsibility to brief the public more thoroughly…They are not providing enough information to the public, and the public is concerned."
