Pentagon: No evidence of Iranian 'mothership' launching drones over New Jersey

Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Drones near U.S. military sites in New Jersey are not connected to a foreign nation or launched by an Iranian "mothership" off the East Coast, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.

"We have no evidence that these activities are coming from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary," Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Wednesday.

"We're going to continue monitoring what is happening, but at no point were our installations threatened when this activity was occurring," Singh said.

She said the drones are not U.S. military drones and are not coming from a foreign entity or adversary.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., on Wednesday told Fox News he has confidential sources that say Iran placed a "mothership" off the East Coast and is launching drones toward the United States.

Van Drew said the U.S. military is on "full alert" and should shoot down the drones, the New York Post reported.

Singh said Van Drew's claim in incorrect.

"There is not any truth to that," Singh said. "There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there's no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States."

New Jersey State Sen. Jon Bramnick on Tuesday said the state "should issue a limited state of emergency banning all drones until the public received an explanation regarding these multiple sightings."

Dozens of drones of an unknown origin have been reported in eight of New Jersey's 21 counties in the central and northern parts of the state since a week before Thanksgiving,

The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted drone flights while state and federal agencies investigate the matter.