NYC officials want answers from NYPD, feds about alarming drone sightings
Staten Island lawmakers, baffled by the lack of information regarding large drones spotted in the tri-state area skies, are demanding action from the New York Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Staten Island President Vito Fossella claimed a drone flew over his house last night — but said he’s just as concerned about drones being spotted over critical city infrastructure like the Verrazano Bridge.
Officials want to know why federal officials have been unable to answer questions about the drones. If the troubling situation is not some major international conspiracy, they said, it’s certainly at least a safety risk.
“We believe there was a drone flying over the [Verrazano] bridge … and we’re supposed to let it go? They [the feds] have an obligation to let us know what is going on,” Fossella told reporters on Friday morning.
Fossella went as far as to say “there should be an executive order to let people shoot them down.”
Staten Island officials reached out to the FBI and FAA last week after the first reported sighting of the drones, which have mostly been spotted over neighboring New Jersey in recent weeks, according to Fossella
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) told The Post she was briefed on the situation yesterday. Federal authorities believe some of the reports are airplanes, but many of the lower-flying objects remained a mystery.
She proposed flight restrictions in some of the sensitive areas but “quite frankly got a cookie cutter response.”
Malliotakis is convinced that it’s either the US government testing some military or law enforcement technology — or the drones are a foreign entity.
“I don’t believe that the United States of America, with its capabilities, does not know what is going on,” she said.
“The best way to address this is just be honest. It’s our government or there is a foreign nexus. Either our government is doing some surveillance or surveying or some foreign government.” the congresswoman said.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby dismissed concerns Wednesday, telling reporters that federal investigators have been unable to verify any of the 3,000-plus reports of car-size drones hovering in the night skies over the past several weeks.
Staten Islanders first reported the strange objects in the sky last week, officials said. The aircraft have now been spotted above half the island.
Multiple drones were spotted in the Bronx before dawn Thursday, leading frightened Big Apple residents to flood 911 with calls, police sources told The Post.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed her office was aware of drones flying over the city Friday.
She echoed New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s comments saying there is no safety threat at this time.
“We know New Yorkers have spotted drones in the air this week & we are investigating,” Hochul tweeted. “At this time, there’s no evidence that these drones pose a public safety or national security threat.”
