The White House’s vague explanation drummed up one major sentiment for some: disappointment.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 10:15PM
Toni Yates reports from Belleville, New Jersey with what the White House is saying about the mysterious drone activity.
BELLEVILLE, New Jersey (WABC) — Local leaders in New Jersey want more answers after the Trump administration’s explanation about the mysterious drones over New Jersey last year.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the mystery drones flown across New Jersey in late 2024 were “authorized to be flown by the FAA” for research “and various other reasons” in the first press briefing of President Donald Trump’s second administration.
But that explanation is falling hollow in Belleville where Mayor Michael Melham says drones can still be seen scurrying at night.
“You can see red and green blinking lights, when they get over you, that’s what’s confusing people, they look like a small aircraft, they are fixed-wing drones,” Melham said.
The White House’s vague explanation drummed up one major sentiment for some: disappointment.
“I’m a little bit disappointed in the fact that the FAA didn’t announce this and caused us to exert a lot of manpower toward vetting suspicious activity reports,” said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden.
“Frankly, it was disappointing, it sounds like it’s a cover story because they had no cover story,” Melham said.
“It’s disappointing when they don’t communicate with their own bureau of investigation, the FBI, who spent hundreds and hundreds of manhours vetting through hundreds of phone calls to the tips line,” Golden said.
Melham and Golden say they are less concerned about the threat, but feel more transparency is needed about what exactly is being researched and why.
“You’re flying around in urban areas, in densely populated areas, only 100 feet above our homes, we are concerned and we deserve to know what they’re doing up there,” Melham said.
Golden said he believes it has eroded trust in the federal government.
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The White House’s vague explanation drummed up one major sentiment for some: disappointment.
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