Department of Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday continued to dismiss the flood of drones across New Jersey, this time saying it is likely just the result of relaxed rules on the devices.
Mayorkas seemingly downplayed the mounting concerns of residents including former Gov. Chris Christie — who reported some recently flying over his house — and again claimed there is no evidence of foreign involvement in the aeronautical phenomenon.
“There’s no question that people are seeing drones. And I want to assure the American public that we, in the federal government, have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology, to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings,” Mayorkas told ABC News’ “This Week.”
“Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones. Some are manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones. And we do see duplicative reporting.”
But Mayorkas explained that in September 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration tweaked its policy on drones to allow flights at night.
“That may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn to dusk,” Mayorkas said. “I want to assure the American public that we are on it.”
He has previously claimed the drones were likely just from “convenience stores.”
Residents in New Jersey especially have been tormented by the sightings across Morris, Passaic, Bergen and Hunterdon counties which have been going on since at least Nov. 18.
Some of the drones are reportedly as large as SUVs — and have been hovering over critical public infrastructure and flying in grid-like patterns as if mapping areas, according to local Jersey officials and residents.
Some of the drones have now hit highly dense Essex County — home to Newark Liberty International Airport and the mega-busy Port of Newark.
They also have made their way across areas of New York and the country.
Some of the drones also supposedly fly at altitudes and speeds not previously commercially known.
The lack of clarity from the feds has led to rampant speculation about what is behind the peculiar, lit-up objects buzzing around in the sky, with some positing that it’s a super-secret military project of sorts.
New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew last week claimed “highly reliable sources” with “top security access” told him the drones “very possibly could be” sent by an Iranian “mothership” off the coast.
“We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities,” Mayorkas said Sunday. “And it is critical, as we all have said for a number of years, that we need from Congress additional authorities to address the drone situation.”
Mayorkas said he wants more power for state and local officials to “counter drone activity under federal supervision.”
He estimated that as many as 8,000 drones are flown in the US every day and more than 1 million are registered.
Do you have footage of drones over the skies of New Jersey or New York? Send it to The Post at [email protected].
Late last week, President-elect Donald Trump cast doubt on the notion that the federal government isn’t aware of where these drones are coming from and dangled the possibility of just shooting them down.
While the government’s authorities are limited to do that in most cases, the feds will act quickly when drones hoover near sensitive restricted airspace, Mayorkas said.
“We know of no foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the northeast,” the homeland security secretary added. “And we are vigilant in investigating this matter.
“It is our job to be vigilant in the federal government with our state and local partners on behalf of the American public.”
The federal government has come under bipartisan fire for not being more upfront about the drone phenomenon and providing more answers about what’s happening.
After the interview with Mayorkas, Christie ripped into the DHS secretary for downplaying the phenomenon.
“I’ve lived in New Jersey my whole life. This is the first time that I’ve noticed drones over my house,” Christie said on the program.
Late last week, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) posted a thread detailing his own findings about the drone craze after consulting local authorities and civilian pilots.
“I was with the help of civilian pilots and others able to do deeper analysis and concluded that most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes,” Kim wrote on X.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has requested a drone detection system get sent to New York and New Jersey. Schumer has also teased plans to fight for legislation aimed at bolstering state and local authority on the matter.
