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New York Governor Kathy Hochul calls on Washington to do more about it mysterious drones spotted in recent weeks above the northeast.
The governor said ua statement on Saturday X, that drone activity prompted officials to close Stewart Airfield in New Windsor for about an hour last night.
“This has gone too far,” Hochul said in a statement, urging Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Safety, Security and Reauthorization Act, legislation that would reform drone policy and hand more authority to states.
“Until those powers are given to state and local officials, the Biden administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people,” Hochul added.
Orange County Airport is located near the New York Air National Guard base that is home to the 105th Airlift Wing, according to New York Post.
The runways were closed between 9:40 p.m. and 10:45 p.m., the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told the paper, saying there was “no impact on flights during the closure.”
Hochul is not the first New York official to sound the alarm.
“The people of Staten Island deserve answers, and the people of this city, state and region deserve answers about what the hell is going on,” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella he said of recent quotes about New York.
Residents and elected officials have been reporting drone sightings since last month, particularly in New Jersey.
Hochul’s request for more authority follows a request on Thursday from New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for further efforts to investigate the drone phenomenon.
He similarly complained that existing drone policy leaves local authorities “stretched”.
“This leaves action around (drones) squarely on the shoulders of the federal government,” Murphy wrote. “More federal resources are needed to understand what’s behind this activity.”
Murphy said there is no evidence the aircraft pose a risk to national security or public safety. The Pentagon said they were not US military drones.
Defense officials also shot down theories that the drones came from an Iranian ship at sea.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejando Mayorkas said On Friday, CNN called many of the sightings “a case of mistaken identity,” with residents mistaking regular aircraft for drones and multiple sightings of the same aircraft by different people making reports seem more common than they are.
Homeland Security is in regular contact with New Jersey officials and has sent experts and monitoring equipment to the state.
“We have not seen any unusual activity. We don’t know about the threat. We are not aware of any nefarious activity,” Mayorkas said, adding that “the technology has not confirmed that a drone has been spotted.”
The newly elected president Donald Trump weighed in on Friday, calling for the downing of aerial objects.
“Mysterious drones spotted across the country,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Can this really happen without the knowledge of our government. I don’t think so! Let the public know, now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!”