The Federal Aviation Administration is conducting drone-detection testing in New Jersey, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced, after mysterious drones were spotted over the state and elsewhere last year, fueling speculation about their origins.
President Donald Trump’s White House said the drones spotted over New Jersey were “not the enemy” in January, and the previous Biden administration said the public had a “slight overreaction” to the drone sightings on the East Coast.
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Duffy, who is from New Jersey, said the testing will take place in Cape May from April 14 to April 25.
“Do you remember the drone fiasco in New Jersey last year? Do you remember when President Biden’s administration refused to tell the American people who was flying the drones? It scared the crap out of people,” Duffy said in a post on X. “It was wrong. President Trump and I believe in radical transparency. In this administration, we are committed to the truth and that means telling the American people what our agencies are up to.”
The agency said it conducted off-airport tests of the drone detection technology in Alaska earlier and will conduct tests in New Mexico, North Dakota, and Mississippi later this year.
Do you remember the drone fiasco in New Jersey last year? Do you remember when President Biden’s administration refused to tell the American people who was flying the drones? It scared the crap out of people. It was wrong.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 15, 2025
President Trump and I believe in radical transparency.… pic.twitter.com/KJlutVh5uH
The FAA said in a statement that it will operate several large drones and more than 100 commercial off-the-shelf drones during the two-week period. Testing will take place over the water and near the Cape May Ferry Terminal during daytime on weekdays only. The public should not fly recreational drones near this area during the test period, the statement added.
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The agency said the tests will “help determine the effectiveness of these technologies and whether they might interfere with FAA or aircraft navigation systems.”
There are over 100 drone sighting reports near airports each month.