By AJ McDougall
nj.com
WASHINGTON — The White House said Tuesday the drones spotted flying over New Jersey late last year were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration for “research and various other reasons.”
Before taking questions at her first news briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she had an update on the drones to relay “directly” from President Donald Trump.
“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons,” Leavitt said.
“Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. In time, it got worse due to curiosity,” she continued, referring to the confusion and paranoia ignited by the increasing number of reports that spread across the state and the Northeast in November and December.
“This was not the enemy,” Leavitt said.
Federal authorities previously said the reported drones were mostly “lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”
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AJ McDougall may be reached at amcdougall@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on X at @oldmcdougall.
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