Alejandro Mayorkas, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, said federal authorities were “not aware of any foreign involvement” in the apparent mass drone sightings in the northeast of the country, although social and political fears nevertheless continued to grow over the weekend due to a lack of information from officials.

“I want to reassure the American public that we are on board,” Mayorkas said.

He called for “broadened and expanded” authority to shoot down drones beyond those that only fly over restricted military airspace. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday that the federal government was ready to deploy a high-tech drone detection system in response to the spate of sightings there, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Meanwhile, reports that an Iranian drone ship was patrolling the US east coast were dismissed as unfounded.

The head of the U.S. domestic intelligence agency told ABC News that there are “thousands of drones being flown every day in the United States, recreational drones, commercial drones.” He also noted that in September 2023, aviation regulators issued rules allowing drones to fly at night, which has led to more such activities.

U.S. authorities are eager to prevent vigilante groups from responding to the drone invasion in New Jersey, fearing that innocent bystanders could be hit by falling debris or that legitimate commercial aviation could be confused with unaccounted drones.

“We want state and local authorities to have the ability to counter drone activity, even under federal supervision,” Mayorkas said.

Hoping to address officials’ relative powerlessness to allay public alarm over the drone sightings, Mayorkas said some were drones and others mistook manned aircraft for drones.

“There’s no question … people are seeing drones,” Mayorkas noted. “And I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel and technology to…help address the drone sightings.”

A Chinese national was arrested in California on December 9, allegedly for flying a drone over Vandenberg Air Force Base that was used for space launches and missile testing. Other military bases also reported drone overflights.

“If we identify foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate appropriately with the American public,” Mayorkas added.

As Donald Trump prepares to begin his second presidency, he has called for more official transparency about what he calls “mysterious drone sightings across the country.”

“Can this really happen without our government’s knowledge? I don’t think so,” Trump added. “Let the public know, now. Otherwise, shoot them.”

On Sunday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was asked if the state’s residents were experiencing an outbreak of mass hysteria.

“To say that this is not unusual activity is simply wrong,” Christie said. “I’ve lived in New Jersey my whole life and this is the first time I’ve noticed drones over my house.”

Christie said the lack of official information has led to conspiracy theories overwhelming agency officials.

“If you don’t fill that vacuum, all the conspiracy theories will fill there,” Christie added. “So Congressman Jeff Van Drew says there is an Iranian mothership off the coast, which is demonstrably not true.”

Joe Biden’s outgoing presidential administration and state agencies need to be more vocal and let people know what they are doing, he added.

Referring to novel technology being used as a weapon in conflict zones, Christie said it was understandable that people were concerned.

Hochul joined a chorus of other U.S. elected officials on Saturday urging the White House for a federal response after Stewart International Airport’s runways were temporarily closed due to what they called “drone activity in the airspace.”

Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey, has also contacted Biden to express “growing concerns about reports of unmanned aircraft systems.” In Connecticut, another state with increased drone sightings since mid-November, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the planes should be shot down “if necessary.”

But the lack of a coherent response from authorities has left residents searching for answers on their own.

The director of the Rebovich Institute at Rider University, Micah Rasmussen, told NJ.com that the Biden administration’s response was “a textbook example of exactly how misinformation happens and disinformation happens.”

“If people don’t know what to believe, they won’t believe anything,” Rasmussen said, “and that’s a dangerous situation for us.”

The federal response achieved the near-impossible by bringing Republicans and Democrats in the state together on the issue, said Republican Rep. Dawn Fantasia of New Jersey.

“I don’t know who is running crisis communications from the White House, but it’s embarrassing,” Fantasia told the medium. “You know, we’re at the point now where I feel like I’m watching ’80s Star Search and they’re just auditioning voice models to say stupid things.”

Another New Jersey politician, Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, said hundreds of reports of drones flying overhead in federally controlled airspace are “leaving a big information vacuum.”

Hundreds of additional sightings of unidentified flying objects have been reported since November 13, when an unauthorized drone was spotted flying near Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. Army research facility in New Jersey.

Some have been described as “SUV-sized.” Some reportedly flew in coordinated clusters. Domestic security authorities have repeatedly emphasized that they do not pose a threat to national or public security.

But military officials have confirmed 11 sightings over the Picatinny base and several sightings over a naval weapons station, stoking concerns.

The sightings came after the Biden administration sought to downplay a Chinese spy balloon that crossed the United States in early 2023 before eventually being shot down off the East Coast.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said: “It appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft operating lawfully.”

But that hasn’t satisfied New Jerseyans, Rasmussen told NJ.com.

He said: “You only have so many opportunities to explain something before people say, ‘I’ve heard enough from you.’ I don’t believe what you have to say. I’m tired of listening to you now because you’re obviously insulting my intelligence.’”