BY MICHAEL OLOHAN AND JOHN SNYDER
OF PASCACK PRESS
PASCACK VALLEY—Aliens? One of America’s adversaries? Delivery drones? Hobbyists? Pranksters? A covert operation in the U.S. national interest? None of the above?
There is a rising tension: Where many demand answers and action, the word from on high has been We’re good.
The scales now have tipped toward an action without shedding new light. On Dec. 19 the FAA banned drone operations over parts of New Jersey through Jan. 17, 2025 and warned that the government may respond with “deadly force” against drones that pose a threat.
Unmanned aircraft are barred from flying within one nautical mile of specified airspace outlined in an FAA Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM.
The temporary flight restrictions apply over populous Bayonne, Branchburg, Bridgewater, Camden, Cedar Grove, Clifton, Edison, Elizabeth, Gloucester City, Hamilton, Harrison, Jersey City, Kearny, North Brunswick, South Brunswick, Westampton, Winslow, and Woodbridge.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is demanding answers anew. He said in a statement shared with Pascack Press: “I reached out to the FAA first thing this morning and asked for an immediate briefing on their decision… They must brief the public on the reasons for their action. Decisions like these made in a vacuum only lead to more confusion and uncertainty. These federal agencies must do better by Jersey families.”
For weeks, Gottheimer has urged federal agencies, including the FAA, DHS, and FBI, to be more transparent and brief the public. On Tuesday, Gottheimer received a more than two-hour-long classified briefing “about reported drone and other observed overhead activity in the Northeast.”
He said the session “reinforced what I’ve been saying of what I learned in earlier FBI and DHS briefings: I don’t believe these recent drone sightings pose an imminent threat to public safety.”
He said “I directly urged representatives from the FBI and DHS to immediately brief the public on what they know. There is no reason to keep the public, especially families in New Jersey, in the dark about what they are seeing in the air.”
Gottheimer, a candidate for governor, said, “I appreciate that the federal government has moved drone monitoring equipment into New Jersey. I’ve asked the FBI and DHS to immediately augment their monitoring equipment to cover more of the state.”
He added, “Ultimately, we must also equip local and state law enforcement with permanent monitoring equipment, so that they can track and respond to unwelcome and unauthorized drones. We must be prepared to track drone activity and stop unauthorized drones, especially over military bases, reservoirs and other critical infrastructure, airports, and homes.”
Also speaking out recently, though prior to the Dec. 17 briefing, was State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39), who criticized the federal response as “abysmal” and said a separate briefing she attended left her feeling less secure.
President Joseph R. Biden has sought to reassure the public following a surge in drone sightings along the East Coast, including more than rcent 3,000 reports in New Jersey. Emphasizing that investigations have not uncovered malicious activity, Biden said in part, “There’s a lot of drones authorized up there… One sighting starts it, and everyone gets in on the deal.”
Earlier in the week, Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking with reporters at the Statehouse in Trenton, said he’d pressed the Biden administration to send drone experts to investigate, which they reportedly did, and in his view yielded nothing of alarm, according to reporting by the New Jersey Monitor.
“First of all, I’d say, calm down. There’s no evidence of anything nefarious here,” he said.
The Monitor noted that he added: “We never say never, but … take a breath.”
He said, “There is zero evidence, with all due respect, that somebody’s hiding the pea here, that the federal government or our military or somebody knows what’s going on here, and they’re not admitting to it. I see zero evidence of that,” he said. “There’s a lot of conspiracy theories out there right now. Let’s put that one with the Iranians off to the side.”
Despite these assurances, local officials in the Pascack Valley remain apprehensive. Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali, after attending federal and state briefings, noted on Dec. 16, “We were informed that there is no evidence of foreign interference. The Coast Guard also reported no unusual activity coming from the ocean to the mainland. They have deployed advanced equipment, and for the past three days, there have been no indications of any threats to national security or local infrastructure.”
He said, “It’s unsettling that we still don’t know who is behind these drones or why they are appearing now.”
Ghassali recently posted on his Facebook page that Montvale was now a “drone no-fly zone,” and shared official-looking signage to that effect. Residents pointed out he lacks such authority. Ghassali—who also volunteered that residents should refrain from shooting at the objects—also has spoken out on the issue on Newsmax and other outlets.
(Indeed, authorities warn against firing at suspected drones, and pointing lasers up, as these interfere with airplane safety.)
In Westwood, Mayor Raymond Arroyo, this year’s president of the 10-member Pascack Valley Mayors Association, answered our call for comments, recounting an incident where he and local police officers observed what appeared to be a drone but evidently was a jet.
“While some sightings may be explainable—such as smaller, hobby-sized drones or misidentified aircraft—the significant increase since early November and reports of larger, industrial-sized drones raise serious concerns,” Arroyo said.
He dinged “a lack of transparency” from federal agencies, aligning with calls from U.S. Sen. Cory Booker for greater openness. “If the federal government really doesn’t know the origin of these aircraft—or is unable to do anything about it—that might be even worse.”
Overall, he urged vigilance. “In addition to looking towards the evening sky, we might be more aware and observant of what’s on the ground around us as well.”