President Trump said Tuesday that the drone sightings over New Jersey late last year were either authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or were from hobbyists and enthusiasts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a statement from Trump at her first press briefing that the FAA had flown drones in the area for research purposes.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the mystery drones flown across New Jersey in late 2024 were "authorized to be flown by the FAA" for research "and various other reasons" in the first press briefing of President Donald Trump's second administration.

(Gray News) - The drones that flew across New Jersey in recent months were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “The drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons,” Leavitt said Tuesday.

The unexplained, SUV-sized drones that caused a stir flying over the areas in the Northeast in November and December have returned. As of Sunday, Jan. 25.

The people of New Jersey finally have an answer from the White House about the scores of drones that blanketed the region in paranoia at the end of last year. Or do they? In her first press room briefing, President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that the Federal Aviation Administration authorized the drones.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read a statement from President Trump which read in part, "this was not the enemy."

The drones seen flying over New Jersey were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration, the White House said on Tuesday. The drones were seen not only over the Garden State but over other states in November, Fox News reported.

The White House clarified that many of the drones sighted over New Jersey and other parts of the country in late 2024 were authorized

Last December dozens of drones were seen flying over the state of New jersey, prompting officials to call for a temporary state of emergency

The White House is providing an explanation for the drones that were spotted over New Jersey, and all along the East Coast, over the past several months.

The mysterious drones sighted over New Jersey in December were authorized to fly and did not originate from a hostile