White House says no evidence to suggest foreign involvement in mysterious New Jersey drone sightings

​​​​​​​By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - There is no evidence to suggest that mysterious drones spotted for weeks above New Jersey, including near a sensitive military site, are the work of a foreign adversary, the White House said Thursday.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said a federal investigation of visual images has so far determined that "many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully." There are no confirmed reports of the drones entering restricted airspace.

"We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus," he told reporters.

"The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they're working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin," he added.

Kirby said "very sophisticated electronic detection technologies" provided by federal agencies have not been able to corroborate any of the reported sightings.

New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia wrote on X Wednesday that the first sighting was reported Nov. 18, and that they "operate in a coordinated manner," oftentimes flying with lights turned off.

She said the aircraft, some of which are up to 6 feet (2 meters) in diameter, "appear to avoid detection by traditional methods," including via helicopters and radio frequencies, and do not appear to be flown by hobbyists.

Authorities do not know where the drones are taking off from, or where they are landing.