Mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey: Trump's White House says flying objects weren't the 'enemy', they were ...

UPDATED: Feb 3, 2025 23:54 IST

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has addressed the recent drone sightings over New Jersey, revealing President Trump’s explanation during her first briefing on Tuesday, reported New York Post.

According to Leavitt, the drones that startled New Jersey residents last month were “not the enemy,” citing Trump’s assessment that many of them were simply conducting “research.”

“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons,” Leavitt read from Trump’s dictation. “Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. In time, it got worse due to curiosity. This was not the enemy.”

The drones were spotted over Bernardsville, New Jersey, on December 5, 2024, and caused significant concern in the region, the report said.

The explanation, however, did not clarify what specific research was being conducted or elaborate on the “other reasons” mentioned by Trump. Additionally, it did not address why many of the drones were flying near sensitive military areas.

Former House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas) raised doubts about the official story last month, suggesting that the drones might have been “spy drones” sent from China. “My judgment based on my experience is that those that are over our military sites are adversarial and most likely are coming from the People’s Republic of China,” McCaul said at the time.

The FBI, FAA, Pentagon, and Department of Homeland Security released a joint statement stating that the drones seen were a combination of commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as some misidentified manned aircraft and stars. Despite the official reassurances, concerns about the drones, especially those near military sites, continued to grow.

Trump, in a recent statement, criticized the Biden administration for not providing answers, accusing them of covering up the situation. “Our military knows where they took off from — if it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went, and for some reason they don’t want to comment,” Trump said last month. “I can’t imagine it’s the enemy, because if it was the enemy, they’d blast it.”