South Jersey mayors frustrated as unanswered questions swirl about drones
EWING, N.J. (CBS) — Frustration is mounting in New Jersey with more reports of mysterious drones being spotted in the sky at night.
On Wednesday, many mayors across the state walked out of New Jersey State Police Headquarters in Ewing frustrated. They said they were given hardly any new information after being briefed on the drone sightings.
Collingswood Mayor Jim Maley even headed home early.
"I left after only 10 minutes because they said there's nothing new they're going to tell us. They don't know where they come from, where they land, what they are, and what they're there for," Maley said.
Last week, Evesham Township Police first reported the sightings expanded to South Jersey. The large drones seen hovering in the sky at night were first reported over North and Central Jersey in recent weeks, and now there have been more sightings in Philadelphia's suburbs.
The Pentagon said Wednesday the mysterious drones are not from a foreign entity.
The FBI is leading the investigation. In a statement, the FBI said in part, "The FBI is aware of reported sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — commonly referred to as drones — observed flying in multiple locations over the past several weeks." The agency is engaged with federal, state, local and tribal partners, the statement said, and vehicles that are seen near "critical infrastructure and other sensitive sites" can be reported to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.
"They're monitoring the duration of their flight but they really don't have a way of tracking," Delran Mayor Gary Catrambone said.
Catrambone said he was not aware of any sightings over his township, but his main concern is having little information to pass on to residents as the drones hover over homes, highways and at times critical infrastructure.
"The colonel for the state police said he was meeting with the governor and would be passing some of the questions along," Catrambone said.
The White House says President Biden has been briefed on the matter. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it "continues to support interagency partners to assess the situation and the reported sightings."
Gov. Phil Murphy was not at the meeting, but members of his staff were.
Right now, investigators continue to say there is no indication of a threat to the public. Maley said he wants more answers and feels like the briefing was a waste of time.
"I thought there was something that we needed to know and that it was going to be shared," Maley said. "Let us know if there is nothing."
The mayors said New Jersey State Police will have a virtual briefing for the police chiefs in the state on Thursday.
