The US Coast Guard is furious after members of the White House suggested the sailors were “making up a fabrication” about being tracked by drones.
Several guards stationed at Barnegat Light had revealed that one of their 45-foot ships was closely followed by a fleet of 12 to 30 drones while patrolling the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month.
A law enforcement spokesperson later confirmed this Fox Digital that ‘several aircraft were sighted at low altitude in (the) vicinity of one of the military branch ships near Island Beach State Park, New Jersey’.
“While no immediate threats or disruptions to operations have been identified, the Coast Guard is assisting the FBI and government agencies in understanding the type, origin and intent of these aircraft and addressing potential risks to safety and security.
“We take all aircraft activity near federal assets seriously and urge the public to report any suspicious activity to local authorities,” they told the outlet.
But instead of offering support, the White House dismissed their concerns, suggesting the drones could be flown by hobbyists, be airplanes or simply brightly lit stars.
However, the implication that the drones pose no problem has infuriated sailors.
“It’s the implication that’s offensive. It implies that we are making things up, while those who are making things up are in Washington DC,” said a Coast Guard member who claims to be one of the 12 crew members on the boat that night. New York Post.
US Coast Guard is furious after White House members suggested sailors were ‘making up stories’ about being tracked by drones
Several guards stationed at Barnegat Light had revealed that one of their 45-foot vessels, boats, was followed at close range by a fleet of 12 to 30 drones while patrolling the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month.
He further explained, “We were actually there to see if we could spot any drones, because of all these sightings. We found a few drones. Or rather, they found us.
“The drones appeared out of nowhere around 9 p.m.” and followed the boat for about 15 minutes. When the ship changed course, so did the drones.
“I’m terrible with measurements, but (the swarm) was about 80 to 100 feet above us. They had four propellers. Seven meters wide. The flashing lights, as you saw. The festive green, red and white lights.’
Furthermore, the alleged witness claims that the swarm was moving at a speed of “approximately 20 knots, which is just over 20 miles per hour.”
“Commercial airplanes don’t move like that. I’ve been there (on the water) when planes landed in New York, and believe me, you can see the difference. We’re not idiots, we know what drones look and sound like.’
The sailor’s comments come next White House national security spokesman John Kirby spoke to reporters and shared his theories about the drone sightings.
He began his remarks to reporters at a briefing by noting the proliferation of hobby drones over the skies.
But instead of offering support, the White House dismissed their concerns, suggesting the drones could be flown by hobbyists, be airplanes or simply brightly lit stars.
The sailor’s comments come after White House national security spokesman John Kirby spoke to reporters and shared his theories about the drone sightings.
“There are more than 1 million drones legally registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States, and there are thousands of commercial hobbyist and law enforcement drones legally in the air on any given day,” Kirby told reporters.
In addition, Kirby said the FBI had received tips about 5,000 drone sightings in recent weeks, 100 of which they said needed to be followed up.
He also pointed out the series of statements about what US officials think is in the sky after looking into the various tips – even saying that misidentified stars were part of the problem.
“We believe that the sightings to date include a combination of legal commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and even stars that were incorrectly reported as drones.”
“We have not identified anything abnormal or any risk to national security or public safety over civil airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast. The work continues.’
In addition, Kirby said the FBI had received tips about 5,000 drone sightings in recent weeks, 100 of which they said needed to be followed up.
The flying objects (example above) are larger than drones used by hobbyists, witnesses have noted, raising questions about their proximity to critical infrastructure and sensitive locations
“But I would like to reiterate that our assessment at this stage is that the activity involves commercial, hobbyist law enforcement drones, all operating lawfully and lawfully, and/or civil aviation aircraft,” he underlined.
He cited federal “resources and personnel” in support of the effort, including additional “advanced detection technology” and trained observers.
His comments were similar to a joint statement later released by DHS, FBI, FAA and Department of Defense.
The bizarre unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) were first spotted hovering over New Jersey over a month ago, but neither local nor federal authorities have offered an explanation for the lights shooting across the sky from dusk to dawn – and especially disappear in daylight.