Senators from New Jersey and New York express “urgent concern” about mysterious drone activity

Members of Congress continue to demand answers about mysterious drone activity on the East Coast that has alarmed residents and officials, with several senators expressing “urgent concern” over recent, unexplained sightings.

Senators from New York and New Jersey have asked the heads of the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Homeland Security to inform them of the matter in a new letter.

“We write with urgent concern about the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) activity that has affected communities across New York and New Jersey in recent days,” said a letter Wednesday from New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim said.

They asked to be informed “as soon as possible how your authorities are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of these attacks.”

The letter said potential security risks posed by the large drones have been observed near “critical infrastructure and sensitive locations, including reservoirs and military installations.”

Local and state officials are calling for more action and transparency regarding the unexplained drone sightings reported in the Northeast, particularly in New Jersey, where a state senator has called for a limited state of emergency in response to the activity and nearly two dozen mayors are concerned The district has called for a comprehensive investigation.

There have been reports of four to 180 sightings per night, according to Rep. Dawn Fantasia of New Jersey, who attended a closed-door meeting Wednesday with other state leaders and Department of Homeland Security officials about drone activity in New Jersey.

The drones are “operating in a coordinated manner” and have not been identified as hobbyist drones or those associated with DHS, she said.

It remains unclear who is operating the drones, according to a DHS handout released by Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, who attended the meeting.

“According to the FBI, there are currently no known specific or credible threats associated with these sightings,” the handout states.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would receive a confidential briefing on the mysterious drone activity on Thursday, calling it a “dilemma.”

“I’m excited to find out,” Johnson said of the drones.

The speaker declined to provide further details about the briefing.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on his radio show that he would contact the White House on Thursday about the drone activity. ABC News has reached out to his office for an update.

“Many” of the reported drone sightings appear to be legally operating manned aircraft, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby.

“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a threat to national security or public safety or have any foreign connection,” Kirby told reporters at a briefing on Thursday. “The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings and working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources to better understand their origins using a variety of detection methods.”

He noted that there have been no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace.

“Nevertheless, we take the threat posed by unmanned aerial systems seriously, which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports, even though they have not uncovered any malicious activity or intent on this stage,” Kirby said.

The Pentagon also said there was no evidence the drone activity came from a foreign entity or adversary, refuting New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s claim that it came from an Iranian mother ship off the East Coast could.

“There is no truth to this – there is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there is no so-called mother ship launching drones towards the United States,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Wednesday.

“We will continue to monitor what happens,” she said, adding: “At no time were our facilities threatened when this activity occurred.”

A spokesman for the FBI, the lead agency investigating the sightings, said it was “doing everything we can to find out what’s going on.”

“The public can still call our 800 hotline or submit a tip online. We respond to every material tip we receive,” the FBI spokesman said.

In response to the drone activity, the FAA has imposed flight restrictions at Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Somerset County.

The US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) is also monitoring reports of “unauthorized drone flights near military installations in New Jersey,” a spokesman said.

“Local law enforcement and the FBI are currently investigating,” the spokesman said in a statement Wednesday, adding that NORTHCOM has not been asked to assist with the events at this time but is ready to respond “if asked or if so.” “Should the situation escalate” threaten any DoD installations.”

ABC News’ Alexandra Faul and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.