Senator calls for New Jersey drones to be shot down

As mysterious drones continue flying over New Jersey, frustrated members of Congress are calling for the federal government to take them down. The calls come just days after a New Jersey representative asked the Pentagon to get involved. 

“They should be shot down if necessary,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. “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.” 

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“If you don’t know whose it is and who’s flying it, you have to take it down,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told CBS News.  

Lawmakers are concerned the drones could be a threat to national security. 

There are multiple sensitive locations in New Jersey, including Joint Base McQuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Naval Weapons Station Earle. The naval station provides guns, artillery and explosives for the entire Atlantic fleet carrier and expeditionary strike groups. 

When Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was asked about shooting the drones down, he said “safety first.”

“You’re over populous neighborhoods and areas. New Jersey –– I don’t know if you know this –– is the most densely populated state in America because everybody wants to live there,” Booker told reporters. “The most important thing right now is the safety and security of our communities, but we should know what’s going on.”

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All four senators from New Jersey and New York sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Federal Aviation Administration requesting a briefing on the drones. 

The letter stated, “The potential safety and security risks posed by these drones in civilian areas is especially pertinent considering recent drone incursions at sensitive military sites in and outside of the continental United States over the past year.” 

“The public should have good information, especially on a subject that is understandably concerning for people and also a subject matter in which misinformation can spread a lot,” Booker said. 

The mystery drones are very difficult to track for multiple reasons –– they’re faster than drones used by local law enforcement and they go dark when under surveillance.