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By Flynn Nicholls
US News Reporter
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After more than an hour of sharp question from lawmakers, the FBI appeared to offer no definitive answers about the ongoing drone sightings in New Jersey and New York.
During a Tuesday hearing on drone threats to homeland security, several members of Congress questioned how the FBI could have so few answers more than a month after drones were first reported, some seen in the skies over sensitive military sites.
The session raised more questions than answers with regards to the spate of sightings of unidentified drones and other objects over US, whose origin and purpose remain unknown. The phenomenon has fueled rumors and speculation, including about crash sites, clocks changing time and even extra-terrestrial involvement.
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Hearing chairman Representative August Pfluger (R-Texas) was the first to raise the mystery, asking "what is going on in New Jersey?
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Robert Wheeler Jr., the assistant director of the FBI's critical incident response group, replied.
"We do not attribute [the sightings] to an individual or a group yet," Wheeler said. "We're actively investigating, enlisting the help of the inter-agency [taskforce] and the public."
When Pfluger asked if there is a threat to public safety, Wheeler replied, "there is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don't know, and that's the concerning part."
When Pfluger asked whether they could shoot one down, Wheeler diplomatically replied "authority exists to mitigate a UAS [drone] in flight when authorized, and that could certainly apply to a sensitive site." He did not specify why this action has not occurred already.
Other lawmakers expressed frustration over the lack of definitive answers.
Representative Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said, "sometimes I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone up here," pressing Wheeler for clarity. "You're telling me we don't know what the hell these drones are in New Jersey?" Wheeler confirmed, "That's right."
Newsweek has contacted the FBI's Newark office via email for comment.
The drones, some reportedly the size of small cars, have been described as operating near military installations and critical infrastructure including Picatinny Arsenal and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-New York) raised concerns about potential threats. "These things have been flying over New York and New Jersey, over military installations," she said. "What if they were carrying chemical weapons or something?"
Wheeler acknowledged that the drones could consist of a spectrum of threats.
"I am cognizant, and we all are in the FBI, of what this threat can look like," he said. "Anywhere across the spectrum of sophisticated state actors, adversaries that want to hurt us, all the way through counterterrorism matters, cyber, WMD, criminal, all the way down to a nuisance drone that could cause harm."
He later continued, "we're actively investigating and would like to answer those questions, but I don't have a better answer."
The drone sightings, which began in New Jersey in November, have recently expanded into New York. On Sunday night, residents of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, reported seeing up to 12 drones near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
On Monday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy assured residents that while no immediate threats have been identified, authorities are taking the incidents "deadly seriously."
He said, "these are apparently very, as I understand it, very sophisticated. The minute you get eyes on them, they go dark."
The FBI's Newark Field Office has received over 3,000 tips and continues to investigate. Residents are urged to report sightings and share evidence by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or emailing tips@fbi.gov.
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