BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The mysterious drone sightings that are baffling residents in several mid-Atlantic states have officially spread to Connecticut.
A Connecticut State Police Public Information Officer acknowledged on Friday that the unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, have been seen and reported locally.
“We are aware of suspicious drone activity occurring in various areas of the state. The Emergency Services Unit has deployed a drone detection system to assist with these investigations, which is presently set up in the Groton/New London area,” the CSP PIO said.
Since mid-November, sightings have been reported in parts of New York and New Jersey. The UAS activity has also been seen in Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania. Now that they’ve apparently entered Connecticut, state officials are communicating with colleagues at all levels in search of answers.
“Our personnel have been monitoring all UAS flights in the area and have, and will continue to, report all suspicious flights to both our federal and local partners in law enforcement,” the CSP PIO said.
The Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection issued a release on Friday afternoon saying it is closely monitoring the reports of drone activity in the state. Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins has requested that the CSP and Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security investigate any unusual reports of larger drones flying after dark.
"We understand that people are anxious and they want to know what's going on," Higgins said. "After the reports out of New Jersey and other states, we want to assure Connecticut residents that we are fully engaged, and we take reports of suspicious sightings seriously. As is our practice in Connecticut, we are working with our local, state and federal partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Transportation Safety Administration."
In recent days, high-ranking members of the U.S. government have demanded that more resources be allotted to help identify where the drones are coming from and who is controlling them.
In a social media post on Friday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy published a letter to President Joe Biden noting that the constant reporting of the UAS activity has only left Americans with more questions than answers, as conspiracy theories spread across all social media platforms.
“I respectfully urge you to continue to direct the federal agencies involved to work together until they uncover answers as to what is behind the UAS sightings,” Murphy wrote to the President.
Murphy stated that the drones don’t currently appear to be threatening and said there is no public safety risk to be aware of. He still admitted it is frustrating and frightening not to have more clarity.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) took a more aggressive approach toward dealing with the UAS activity while calling for a briefing. He said the unidentified flying objects should be “shot down, if necessary,” even though no one knows where they are coming from or who is operating them.
“We should be doing some very urgent intelligent analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” Blumenthal said.
On Thursday, the White House said that a review determined most of the aircraft are being flown lawfully and have not been reported in restricted airspace. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. Coast Guard has not found any foreign involvement from ships in the ocean.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh has confirmed that the drones are not affiliated with the U.S. military, according to the Associated Press.
On Thursday afternoon, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said in a joint statement that they are working with their federal partners and the New Jersey State Police, the AP reports.
“[We] continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings,” they said.
As the number of UAS sightings increases by the day, the public is demanding answers. Now that they have entered Connecticut, residents are even more invested in determining the origin of the mysterious aircraft.
In Connecticut, drone operation is regulated under federal law, and users must follow specific instructions. Commercial drone pilots must acquire a Remote Pilot Certificate. TSA is responsible for policies and regulations pertaining to national airspace, and drones are considered aircraft.
State law prohibits the operation of drones over a municipality's public water supply and state parks.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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