New Jersey’s Island Beach State Park. Congressman Chris Smith (R-Manchester) spent Monday night at Island Beach State Park with Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy amid mounting reports of unidentified drone activity over New Jersey, which sparked worries that the drones might be coming from a ship-based source off the coast, potentially connected to a foreign country like China.
Smith joined Mastronardy in keeping an eye on the area after the strange occurrences alarmed local officials and citizens. The congressman, a strong opponent of foreign monitoring, highlighted the national security consequences of such intrusions by drawing a comparison between the current situation with the Chinese spy balloon that passed through American airspace last year.
It is understandable that this important and recurrent problem has New Jersey citizens extremely concerned, and Smith stated in a statement Monday night that the lackadaisical response from our state and federal agencies thus far is completely unacceptable. In order to combat the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial systems and improve communication lines to better respond to such situations, he asked state and federal authorities to cooperate with local law enforcement.
Smith stated that in order to demand answers and action, he has communicated with the sheriffs of Ocean and Monmouth County, as well as federal organizations like the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. military troops. He urged federal and state authorities to take prompt action to determine the origin and intent of the drones, saying that decisive action is required to allay public fears and protect the state’s airspace.
Smith is determined to find answers even if officials have not yet identified the drones’ origin or purpose. “Until New Jersey residents receive the thorough answers they deserve, I will keep working around the clock to make sure law enforcement has all the resources and authority needed to identify these unmanned aerial systems,” he added.
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