The mysterious drones over NJ are not from an Iranian mothership: the Pentagon

• The Pentagon has denied claims that the drones hovering over New Jersey were from an Iranian aircraft carrier.
• Rep. Jeff Van Drew made the claim to Fox News on Wednesday, citing “highly qualified” sources.
• Federal, state and local officials have been investigating unexplained drone activity over the state.

Mysterious drones spotted hovering over New Jersey did not come from an “Iranian mothership,” according to the Pentagon.

The statement was issued after dozens of drones were spotted at sensitive military locations in New Jersey.

Drones have also been spotted at President-elect Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf course.

said Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew Fox News on Wednesday that “highly qualified” and “reliable” sources indicated they came from an “Iranian mothership” in the Atlantic.

“They launched drones into everything we can see or hear,” Van Drew said, adding that the drones should be “shot down.”

Van Drew stay on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Aviation Subcommittee.

However, at a press briefing On Wednesday, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, said: “There is no truth to this.”

“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there is no so-called mother ship launching drones at the United States,” she said, adding that at this time there was no evidence that these activities came from a “foreign entity or the work of an adversary”.

State Police said on Nov. 19, officers witnessed “drone activity” the night before in Morris County after rumors were “spreading on social media.”

The officers’ observations prompted the FBI to open a investigate and the Federal Aviation Administration to enforce flight restrictions.

Last week, Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey, said he convened a briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and senior officials from DHS, the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Readiness and state police to discuss the reported drone activity.

Monday, he said the reporters they had no answers about where the drones were coming from or what they were doing, but that he took the sightings “dead seriously”.

He said 49 drone sightings were reported on Sunday alone, but DHS, the FBI, the Secret Service, state police and authorities at all levels of government had no concern for public safety.

However, on Wednesday the Dawn Fantasia assembly dismissed the claim that there was no known or credible threat as “incredibly misleading”.

In an X postFantasia described the drones as six feet in diameter, operating in a coordinated manner with lights off, appearing to avoid detection by traditional methods and not identified as amateur or DHS-related drones.

“At this point, I think military intervention is the only way forward,” she said, adding, “There will be no answers in the absence of proactivity.”

Over 20 New Jersey mayors signed a letter on Monday demanding “transparency” about the investigations.

“Either senior officials know what is going on and are not concerned, or they are negligent in not intercepting and identifying one of these drones,” they wrote, according to reports.

The FAA told BI that it continues to support interagency partners to assess the situation and reported sightings.

The FBI, New Jersey State Police and the Office of Homeland Security and Readiness did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.