Expert dismisses 'unfounded' panic over 'Drone' sightings in the Northeast.

On Friday, a surge in reported drone sightings on the East Coast led to a wave of anxious calls for investigation from both residents and state officials. However, public officials emphasized that the drones were being operated legally, and a former port authority aviation expert told Planet Chronicle Digital that the concerns were unwarranted.

Last month, New Jersey witnessed an influx of complaints about drones, with reports of sightings off of coastal areas, including Cape May, a picturesque town near Atlantic City.

Recently, lawmakers in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland have reported new alleged drone sightings in their respective states, with some witnesses claiming the aircraft were the size of cars or flying above sensitive infrastructure or in restricted airspace.

On Friday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, expressed his concerns about the recent sightings of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in New Jersey airspace to President Biden and requested more federal resources to investigate the matter.

In the letter, Murphy stated that it is clear that additional resources are required to fully comprehend the cause of this action.

Some Garden State lawmakers have called for the involvement of the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI in their investigations into unmanned aircraft, with one lawmaker suggesting that the objects be "shot down" if necessary.

On Wednesday night, Pequannock Mayor Ryan Herbwe informed reporters that the town is being invaded by drones, according to a town hall meeting in New Jersey.

"It is unknown who is responsible for this and their origin."

On Friday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., expressed worries regarding the possibility of unmanned aerial vehicles, some of which are as big as cars, interfering with air traffic and being used for malicious purposes to endanger national security.

The collective sense of panic has increased, but law enforcement officials say it is unwarranted and unnecessary.

John Kirby, the White House national security communications adviser, addressed concerns about drone sightings during a press briefing on Thursday, stating that there is currently no evidence to suggest that these sightings pose a national security or public safety threat, or have any connection to foreign entities.

According to retired Port Authority Police Detective Lt. John Ryan, who spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital on Friday, the increase in activity is likely due to two factors.

In the U.S., drones have experienced rapid growth in both leisure and business applications over the past decade, as evidenced by the surge in legal drone registrations, according to federal data.

Nearly 400,000 commercial drones and over 790,000 total drones are registered with the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) as of October this year, indicating a significant increase in drone usage.

Ryan, who has an extensive police career and served as the emergency service special operations commander at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport for a decade, and later as the chief officer of the Port Authority, which oversees all transportation facilities in the area, including Kennedy, LaGuardia, and all other airports and ports, stated that the number of legal drones in the U.S. is significant.

Ryan pointed out that the individuals in question are seeking assistance from the wrong authorities.

He pointed out that individuals often go to the wrong agencies and ask the wrong questions.

The FAA is responsible for registering drones and other U.S. aircraft, as well as monitoring recreational and commercial drone use in the country.

Ryan stated that in New Jersey, they have been requesting information from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, but not from the individuals they should have been asking.

The Pentagon confirmed that the drones were not from another country and were not shot down due to being deemed a threat to national security.

On Thursday, Kirby stated that the U.S. is not yet considering banning drone use in U.S. airspace as a policy option.