The hundreds of mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey are sparking growing calls for a more forceful federal response, demands that come as more sightings are reported in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

“What is happening is outrageous. Thousands of drones and unmanned aerial systems are flying overhead, and our government is not telling us who is using them and for what purpose,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said at a news conference in Staten Island on Friday.

“I don’t think the United States of America, with its military capabilities, doesn’t know what these objects are. And what I’m asking and what we’re all asking for is that you be honest with us and just tell us what’s going on,” Malliotakis said.

Despite growing concern from a growing bipartisan group of elected officials, the White House said yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies “could not confirm any of the reported visual sightings.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a post on Friday

The statements come as dozens of sightings have been caught on camera in New Jersey and concerns about safety and privacy continue to grow. Overnight, 79 sightings were reported across New Jersey alone, a senior official briefed on the drone sightings told NBC News.

The sightings — which several New Jersey officials say occur up to 180 times a night — have been consistent for nearly a month.

“Answer is completely unacceptable”

Former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a post on X-Friday that he personally saw “dozens of large drones” over his home, adding that “neither the White House, nor the military, nor the FBI, nor Homeland Security has an idea of ​​what they are doing, where they come from, or who created or controls them – and that they do not pose a threat.”

“This response is completely unacceptable,” Hogan wrote. “I join the growing cross-party chorus of world leaders demanding that the federal government address this issue immediately. The American people deserve answers and action now.”

New Jersey’s Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy wrote letters to President Joe Biden, Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Rep. Mike Johnson and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, urging Congress to take action.

Murphy said he wants to “encourage Congress to pass legislation authorizing state and local law enforcement agencies to use advanced detection and mitigation technologies to deal with UAS.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote his own letter Friday to the DHS, FBI, FAA and Defense Department, requesting briefings on drone activity no later than Dec. 18.

“I am writing to express my deep concern about increasing reports of drone activity in airspace near New England. As you know, these states are home to some of the busiest and most complex airspace in the country,” Blumenthal wrote.

Calls for flight restrictions, no-fly zones

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fosella and Malliotakis said they contacted the FAA last week after the first reported sighting on Staten Island.

Malliotakis said that when she pushed the FAA to impose flight restrictions, she “received an incredible response,” adding that she was “not happy about it.”

“The people of this city, this state and this region deserve answers about what the hell is going on,” Fossella said Friday.

Malliotakis added that she was concerned that drones had been spotted over a Coast Guard base on Staten Island, adding to reports of drone activity over military bases in New Jersey.

An ongoing investigation leads officials to believe that previously reported sightings in New Jersey over the Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County and the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster were actually drones, a senior official briefed on the drone sightings told NBC News.

A spokesman for Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, New Jersey, said in a statement Friday that it was “aware of recent reports of drone sightings throughout New Jersey” and was coordinating with federal and state authorities.

“While no direct threats to the installation have been identified, we can confirm multiple instances where unidentified drones have entered the airspace over Naval Weapons Station Earle,” the statement said.

Montvale, New Jersey Mayor Michael Ghassali said in a post on his Facebook account Friday that the reaction to the sightings “has now become a complete joke.”

Ghassali said he is issuing an emergency declaration for a drone no-fly zone for Montvale due to a lack of a federal response in the city.

“The government cannot control the airspace, and yesterday my phone wouldn’t stop displaying messages about drone sightings,” he said.

“Hobbyists” or “Weapons of War”?

Sen. Andy Kim, D-NJ, joined Senators Gillibrand, Schumer and Booker in writing a letter to DHS, FBI and FAA on Thursday calling on the agencies to hold a meeting on how they are responding to the drones. On X-Friday, he posted a thread describing drones he had seen in New Jersey.

Kim said police officers told him they would see drones every night, but when they approached in helicopters, “the drones would turn off the lights and go dark as they approached.”

“The Secretary of Homeland Security provided an update last week on the new technology they are using, but we need details on what that effort accomplished and whether additional resources are needed,” Kim wrote. “Even if they haven’t fully identified the devices yet, we should still know what is being done.”

Gillibrand said in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday that officials needed to ask “very serious questions” about the design and intended function of the devices. The commercial drones are much larger and more sophisticated than “hobby” drones, raising concerns about unknown capabilities.

“We shouldn’t look at these the way we would look at a kite or a balloon,” Gillibrand said. “These are drones, unmanned aerial systems that are used as weapons of war around the globe.”