Hochul: Feds agree to supply drone detection tech as reports spread

December 16, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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STATEWIDE — RESPONDING TO A PANIC caused by numerous reports of unidentified drones — some described as the size of cars — hovering over locations in the New York/New Jersey metro area including the Verrazzano Bridge in Brooklyn and Stewart Airfield in the Hudson Valley, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the federal government has agreed to her request for additional resources.

“Our federal partners are deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system to New York State. This system will support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations,” she said in a statement on Sunday. Hochul added that ultimately Congress must pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, which “will give New York and our peers the authority and resources required to respond to circumstances like we face today.”

In a joint statement Dec. 12 regarding drone sightings over New Jersey, FBI and DHS said, “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” The agencies will continue to investigate to confirm whether the objects “are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings,” the agencies said.

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