A huge increase in drone sightings in New Jersey over the last few weeks has seen residents try to shoot down UFOs but the FBI has now asked people not to intervene
The FBI has had to warn Americans not to try shooting down UFOs. Investigators are probing 5,000 sightings of mystery craft near military bases in New Jersey over the past few weeks.
Law enforcement chiefs fear spooked locals may try and take matters in their own hands. Pilots have reported an increase in cases of lasers being shone into their eyes and fed chiefs fear locals could go further and start shooting. The FBI has sent advanced detection technology and trained visual observers to the region to identify the craft.
They claim most are either lawful commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars.
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But the sightings have sparked a conspiracy theory that the UFOs were being sent out by out-going President Joe Biden’s Government in a bid to control the population through fear.
The FBI in New Jersey’s biggest city Newark urged the public not to start shooting at the unmanned devices. Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson Delgado said in a video message officers were “concerned people will take matters into their own hands and fire a weapon at an aircraft.”
“Not only is this act against the law, but it poses an incredible danger to the pilots and passengers on those aircraft,” he added.
Dozens of agencies have been working to find answers to the wave of sightings and track down any operators acting “illegally or with nefarious intent”, the FBI said.
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Fewer than 100 of the sightings were “deemed worthy of further investigative activity”, the agency said. “However there could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly.”
Local police have warned there has been an increase in pilots “being hit in the eyes with lasers because people on the ground think they see an unmanned aircraft system”.
Officials have been under pressure to account for the sightings and accused of spreading panic by failing to explain them. Members of the US House Intelligence Committee were on Tuesday receiving a classified briefing on the subject.
In a joint statement the FBI, Federal Aviation Authority and Departments of Homeland Security and Defense tried to calm fears. “Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” they said.
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“We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the north-east.
“That said we recognise the concern among many communities. We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement.
“Additionally, there have been a limited number of visual sightings of drones over military facilities in New Jersey and elsewhere, including within restricted air space.
“Such sightings near or over Department of Defense installations are not new. The Department of Defense takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate.
“Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place.”