Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) tonight is on Island Beach State Park with Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy, who has led efforts to determine the source and possible risks related to the drone activity that has been reported in Ocean County over the last few days. Rep. Smith issued the following statement:

                “I have been speaking with Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, and national security officials located in the area to discuss the widespread reports of unidentified drone activity across my central New Jersey congressional district and across our state.

                Understandably, New Jersey residents are very alarmed at this significant and reoccurring phenomenon—and the tepid response from our state and federal agencies so far is totally unacceptable. As we saw with the Chinese spy balloon last year, our fiercest adversaries will stop at nothing to surveil our homeland and threaten our national security.

                While the source of this drone activity is still to be determined, it is clear that the communication channels and proper authorities among local law enforcement and federal partners must be drastically improved in order to work quickly through deconfliction and security challenges as unmanned aerial systems become more prevalent.

                The people of New Jersey deserve swift and bold action on the part of our state and federal agencies to investigate, assess, and address the situation immediately and to alleviate the growing concerns of our community.

                I have already made inquiries to various federal agencies regarding their response to these sightings after being briefed by the Governor, the State Police, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and U.S. military personnel over the past week. I will continue working around the clock to ensure law enforcement has all the tools and authorities necessary to identify these unmanned aerial systems and until New Jersey residents have the comprehensive answers they deserve.”

###