Gottheimer Gives Drone Update After Attending Classified Briefing

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Rep. Josh Gottheimer said late on Wednesday that he had he attended a two-hour federal briefing about the drone sightings in New Jersey, and he renewed a call for more information to be made public.

Gottheimer attended the classified briefing as member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

He said, "Yesterday’s two-hour long classified briefing about reported drone and other observed overhead activity in the Northeast reinforced what I’ve been saying for I’ve learned in earlier FBI and DHS briefings: I don’t believe these recent drone sightings pose an imminent threat to public safety.

"That said, I directly urged representatives from the FBI and DHS to immediately brief the public on what they know. There is no reason to keep the public, especially families in New Jersey, in the dark about what they are seeing in the air. People shouldn’t have to deal with the stress of not having the information they deserve."

On Thursday, he responded to a new FAA prohibition on drone activity in 22 states by saying, again, that federal officials should release more information. READ MORE: Drones Banned In New Jersey Towns

He said law enforcement officials should be equipped with permanent drone monitoring equipment "so that they can track and respond to unwelcome and unauthorized drones. We must be prepared to track drone activity and stop unauthorized drones, especially over military bases, reservoirs and other critical infrastructure, airports, and homes."

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary ban on drone flights until Jan. 17, they announced overnight

READ MORE: Feds Ban Drones Over Multiple NJ Towns

READ MORE: Wyckoff Warns Of Drone Sightings, Tells Residents To Report Them To FBI