Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan has hit out at what he called the “entirely unacceptable” reaction of authorities to a series of alleged mystery drone sightings across the northeastern United States, including one over his property.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post on Friday Hogan said he had seen and filmed “what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence in Davidsonville, Maryland” the previous night.
On Thursday the FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a joint statement following a series of alleged drone sightings over New Jersey in recent weeks. The agencies said there is “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
On X, Hogan included a two-minute video of what he said were the drones over his property. The footage shows several lights against the night sky, along with a perpetual buzzing sound, though Newsweek can’t independently verify this.
Last night, beginning at around 9:45 pm, I personally witnessed (and videoed) what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence in Davidsonville, Maryland (25 miles from our nation’s capital). I observed the activity for approximately 45 minutes.
Like… pic.twitter.com/Ipx8ctLmhs
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) December 13, 2024
Referring to recent drone sightings, Hogan said: “The public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government. The government has the ability to track these from their point of origin but has mounted a negligent response…
“We are being told that neither the White House, the military, the FBI, or Homeland Security have any idea what they are, where they came from, or who has launched or is controlling them–and that they pose no threat. That response is entirely unacceptable.”
Newsweek contacted Larry Hogan and the FBI press office for comment on Saturday via email outside of regular office hours.
The FBI said it had received more than 3,000 tips related to mystery drone sightings, with the reports causing the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily issue flight restrictions over New Jersey’s Picatinny Arsenal military base and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.
In their joint statement, the FBI and DHS said: “Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities. We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection.
“To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space.”
On Friday President-elect Donald Trump suggested mystery drones should be shot down in a post on his Truth Social website. He wrote: “Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!! DJT.”
Other X users also claimed to have seen the mystery drones, including TV host Harris Faulkner who on Friday said “very large drones flew outside my bedroom window” and that there were “6-8 hovering in one area” above the Hudson River.
In a letter addressed to President Joe Biden on Thursday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, urged the government to dedicate more federal resources to “fully understand what is behind this activity.”
In separate incidents, mystery drones were also reported flying near American military bases in the United Kingdom and Germany.
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