Federal officials Wednesday rejected claims the mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey are coming from an Iranian "mothership."
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said Wednesday on Fox News that the unidentified flying objects in his state's skies are coming from an Iranian vessel off the East Coast — a claim the Defense Department flatly denied.
Drew, who is on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he has heard from “high sources” that Iran is controlling the mysterious objects.
“Iran launched a mothership probably about a month ago that contains these drones. That mothership is off … the East Coast of the United States of America. They’ve launched drones into everything that we can see or hear,” Drew said. “And again, these are from high sources. I don’t say this lightly.”
He added the drones should be “shot down,” whether they are coming from Iran or people who fly drones as a hobby.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh emphatically denied Drew’s remarks Wednesday.
“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States,” she said.
Singh added there is no evidence the mysterious flying objects are linked to a foreign entity or are the work of an adversary. U.S. officials, Singh said, will continue to monitor developments.
Also Wednesday, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said in a statement that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy should declare a state of emergency and issue an executive order banning recreational drone use at night.
“Residents are increasingly alarmed by the surge in drone activity after dark, raising concerns about public safety and security,” Golden said. “We cannot wait any longer. The Governor must act now, and the Air National Guard needs to step in to protect our communities. In addition, we are asking Congress to immediately pass federal legislation for state police and sheriff’s offices nationwide which would enable them to address this issue head on.”