‘Gone too far’ — Mystery NJ drone sightings spread

🔴 Mystery drone sightings reported in other states

🔴 Trump makes dig at Chris Christie over drones

🔴 Bipartisan calls for drones to be shot down

Mystery drone sightings are spreading beyond New Jersey as speculation rages about where they come from and what they're doing.

Large drones have been spotted hovering above Virginia, Massachusetts, and New York, the Associated Press reports.

Drone activity forced a shutdown at New York Stewart International Airport on Friday, located around 25 miles north of New Jersey. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the shutdown lasted for an hour.

"This has gone too far," Hochul said.

Drones could also force a shutdown of Newark Airport if they fly through the airport's airspace, officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

After the shutdown of Stewart Airport, New Jersey state Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, said the Biden administration needs to do something about the drones before someone is hurt.

“Enough is enough. The Biden administration’s feeble response to these unidentified drones in New Jersey and New York is going to end up in tragedy. I am tired of demanding answers, it is time for action," Bucco said.

Further north in Massachusetts, one Harwich resident saw 10 to 15 drones above a home for around an hour Thursday night. In the same town, an off-duty police officer saw drones hovering over a public safety complex.

The same evening, two people in Virginia Beach saw an unusual aircraft that flew over an Army National Guard facility. One man reportedly told The Virginian-Pilot that it was the size of a small truck and made no audible noise.

NJ senator investigates drones

U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., went out with police to the Round Valley Reservoir in Clinton Township and other parts of Hunterdon County on Thursday night.

Kim, who took office last week, said on X he saw small clusters of drones that moved back and forth through the sky in ways that planes can't.

However, they weren't all drones. He said that civilian analysis of flight paths explained many of the lights moving through the night sky.

"After more analysis and help from civilian pilots/experts and flight data, I’ve concluded the possible drone sightings pointed out to me were almost certainly planes," Kim said.

The new senator said that New Jersey shouldn't be left to depend on civilians for answers.

"Federal experts should provide information and guidance to the public including local police departments like the one that took me out to help them decipher what they are seeing," Kim said.

White House and FBI officials have repeatedly said the unidentified objects are not a threat to the public or national security but have not offered any detailed explanations. White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said on Thursday that no sightings have been corroborated.

Trump calls for drones to be shot down

President-Elect Donald Trump also appears frustrated with the White House response. On his social media site Truth Social, he said it was unlikely the government didn't know where the drones were coming from.

"Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!" Trump said.

Then on Saturday, Trump posted an image on X to mock former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie with the implication that the drones were all delivering McDonald's burgers to Christie.

Lawmakers joined calls to shoot down New Jersey drones

On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. 4th District, said in Seaside Heights he would introduce a bill to grant New Jersey State Police the authority to shoot down drones if they pose a danger.

Smith also sent a letter to Defense Secretary Llyod Austin requesting the Pentagon to allow law enforcement to shoot down the drones.

"As many of you know, state and local law enforcement is precluded by law from taking more decisive action—which again is why DOD must act now and Congress and the President need to move quickly to expand state and local authorities," Smith said.

It appears calls to shoot down the mystery drones don't fall along party lines.

U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said the drones should be “shot down, if necessary.”

“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” Blumenthal said.

However, it is illegal for residents to shoot down drones. It's especially dangerous because sometimes people mistake drones for manned aircraft.

Read More: Can you shoot a drone out of the sky?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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