Around a dozen ‘low-altitude aircraft’ have been spotted close to a US Coast Guard ship amid a mysterious drone invasion in New Jersey.
The Coast Guard confirmed the sighting on Wednesday, saying the objects were ‘observed in the vicinity of one of our vessels near Island Beach State Park’.
It came after U.S. Rep. Chris Smith said a commanding officer told him that a 47-foot ship was trailed by ’12 to 30 drones’ earlier this week.
Smith said the sighting was not just ‘suspicious’ and ‘provocative’ but could a ‘foreign power’ could be behind it.
Lt. Luke Pinneo from the US Coast Guard verified the sighting and said in a statement to The Warzone publication.
He said: ‘While no immediate threats or disruptions to operations were identified, the Coast Guard is assisting the FBI and state agencies to understand the type, origin, and intent of these aircraft and address potential risks to safety and security.
‘We take any and all aircraft activity near federal assets seriously and urge the public to report any suspicious activity to local authorities.’
It comes amid claims that Iran could behind the unexplained UFO sightings in New Jersey.
Swarms of drones have been spotted in the skies of New Jersey for weeks, sparking officials to call for a ‘limited state of emergency’
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (pictured) said a US commanding officer told him that a 47-foot ship was trailed by ’12 to 30 drones’ earlier this week
Republican Rep Jeff Van Drew said Wednesday that Iran launched a mothership off the East Coast ‘probably about a month ago’ after making a deal with China ‘to purchase drones, a mothership and other technologies.’
‘These drones should be shot down,’ he told FOX News, adding that ‘the military is on full alert with this.’
However, the Pentagon rushed to claim there is no evidence the drones are the work of an adversary and denied there’s an Iranian ‘mothership’ lurking off the coast.
Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Sing said in a briefing: ‘At this time we have no evidence that these activities are coming from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary.’
Concern about unexplained UFOs began in mid-November when ‘car-sized’ drones appeared over the US Army’s Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway and President-elect Donald Trump´s golf course in Bedminster.
During a Tuesday congressional hearing, Sen Jon Bramnick (R) said: ‘The State of New Jersey should issue a limited state of emergency banning all drones until the public receives an explanation regarding these multiple sightings.’
The FBI has admitted that it does not know who is behind the flying objects, while the US military insisted it is not responsible. The White House says it is ‘closely’ monitoring the situation.
According to one NJ local, this image depicts roughly nine of the unidentified drones flying into New Jersey from the Atlantic Ocean on December 5
The sightings started mid-November with footage capturing ‘car-sized’ drones with flashing lights
Mayors in 21 towns across the state have now written a joint letter to New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy calling for statewide action.
Sing confirmed the craft are not US military drones and said there was ‘no so-called Iranian mothership launching drones to the US.’
The White House also addressed the drones Tuesday evening in a briefing, weeks after New Jersians have been sounded the alarm.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Biden is aware of the matter, but noted she does not know when Biden was briefed.
‘I cannot make any predictions kind of predictions,’ she said in response to whether the drones are controlled by foreign entities conducting surveillance.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was first alerted about the strange activity around the military base on November 18, six days after the drones were spotted.
The first video footage showed drones with green and red lights on their wings and multiple eyewitnesses described them as large as a small car.
At the hearing, Robert Wheeler, assistant FBI director, said: ‘There is nothing known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know and that’s the concerning part.
He told Congress that more than 3,000 sightings had been provided to the agency’s tip line set up last week.
Officials and residents have also seen drones coming in from the ocean
Drones have been reported in 12 counties: Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Monmouth, Ocean, Camden, Burlington, Somerset, Hunterdon, Morris and Warren.
The UFOs have been spotted over water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments and other military installations.
New Jersians have kept eyes on the skies, reporting the bizarre drones on social media platforms, specifically a dedicated Facebook group.
Resident John Mastrogiovanni shared: ‘They are definitely coming in from the ocean, I live on the bay and can see them every night coming in from the ocean.
’10-15 at a time. Once they hit land, some will turn their lights off and go a different direction and some are low and some high. The ones I saw are low, pretty loud, and sound like an engine on it.
‘They move slowly then speed up pretty quickly it’s every night. They are 4-5′ in size and use green and red lights.’
Kelly Ann from Osborne Island claimed the same sightings, saying the drones came from the north as she looked out to Atlantic City.
‘They follow each other like they are lined up 100 feet apart,’ she said.
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