The mysterious, nocturnal swarms of unmanned drones that had been whipping New Jersey residents up into a frenzy since mid-November are now beginning to be sighted in New York and even over Long Island, sparking fears and outrage from local residents and confusion from elected officials who are unable to give answers to their constituents.
The drones have been spotted mainly at night, and sometimes in swarms of up to 50 at a time. Even on the federal level, even the FBI has not been able to identify the origin of the drones - merely stating that they don't currently appear to be a threat to public safety or a national security threat, despite their unknown nature - and instead have called upon the public to share any tips or information that they have.
According to social media posts, claims that unexplained drone sightings have taken place in both Suffolk and Nassau County - including over Smithtown, Seaford, Oyster Bay, Huntington Station, Northport, and West Babylon - have led to residents demanding answers. However, so far, there are none.
On December 14, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued the following statement, following drone activity that resulted in the temporary shutdown of Stewart Airfield in New Windsor, NY.
“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 statement read. “In mid-November, I directed the New York State Intelligence Center to actively investigate drone sightings and coordinate with federal law enforcement to address this issue, and those efforts are 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," Hochul continued. "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. Extending these powers to New York State and our peers is essential. Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people.”
In a follow-up on December 16, Hochul revealed that she had called upon federal resources to aid in identifying the origin of the drones.
“In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system to New York State," she said. "This system will support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations. We are grateful to the Biden Administration for their support, but ultimately we need further assistance from Congress. Passing the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act will give New York and our peers the authority and resources required to respond to circumstances like we face today.”
Meanwhile, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine released a joint statement with the police department, saying that "in light of the recent drone sightings throughout the east coast, officials are working closely together along with our state and federal law enforcement partners to monitor the situation in real-time."
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, however, alleged that the government is indeed aware of the purpose behind the drones, and called upon federal officials to “come forward, be transparent, and tell the public exactly what’s going on.”