Schumer requests "special drone-detection tech" for N.Y. and N.J.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that he's "working to pass a bill" to give local law enforcement "more tools for drone detection" following a spate of mysterious sightings in Northeastern U.S. states.
The big picture: Schumer in online statements urged Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to send "special drone-detection tech" to New York and New Jersey to tackle the unidentified flying objects problem that saw N.Y. Stewart International Airport shut down Friday.
- The Senate majority leader told reporters Sunday he's requesting Robin Radar Systems because they have "360-degree technology."
- He added: "If the technology exists for a drone to make it up into the sky, there certainly is technology that can track the craft with precision and determine what the heck is going on, and that's what the Robin does."
State of play: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in an online statement Sunday said "our federal partners" were "deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system" to N.Y., which she said would support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations into the matter, but she said further assistance was needed.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D), who reposted Schumer's X post Sunday, has also requested that President Biden direct more resources to investigate the origins of the mystery of the drones.
- Murphy said on X he had met with N.J. State Police officials and radar technicians Sunday night who are "surveying the area for unmanned aircraft systems."
- "The public deserves clear answers — we will keep pushing the federal government for more information and resources," he said, adding in a later post following a meeting with an FBI official on the matter: "We are ready to assist the federal government in getting to the bottom of this."
What they're saying: Mayorkas indicated on X that the Biden administration had sent some tech to N.J., saying that many of the "reported sightings have turned out to be piloted aircraft" as the "technology we have deployed to New Jersey has confirmed this."
- He told ABC News' "This Week" earlier Sunday there's no evidence of "foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the northeast."
- When asked for comment on Schumer's call, a Department of Human Services spokesperson said in an emailed statement early Monday: "DHS responds to Congressional inquiries directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight."
- Representatives for Schumer and Murphy did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment in the evening.
Go deeper: White House shoots down drone theories
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from the DHS and Gov. Phil Murphy, and with further context.
