A New Jersey state senator is calling on the Defense Department to investigate recent mysterious nighttime drone sightings as public frustration grows over the lack of answers.

“Let me be clear: State police are far exceeding their expertise… We know the Department of Defense has the technology to monitor these drones,” state Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-N.J., told co-host John Roberts on Wednesday on America Reports.

“The problem is we don’t have a Department of Defense in New Jersey right now. And that is what I demand. Until the Department of Defense intervenes and completely closes the airspace to drones, declares a limited state of emergency – no drones in the sky until we find out what’s going on here,” Bramnick warned. “But without the Defense Department, we won’t have information because the technology goes far beyond the scope of government officials.”

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said on Faulkner Focus Wednesday that “very qualified” and “reliable” sources suspect that the mysterious drones appearing in the Garden State’s skies are linked to an Iranian “mothership.” ” that is stationed off the Garden State US East Coast, a claim that was later rejected by the Pentagon.

Van Drew also called for the drones to be “shot down” and warned of possible national security implications.

The US military research center denies that they are drones

Bramnick said Van Drew was raising a “serious issue” and called him “not the type to make things up.”

“Based on what Van Drew said, based on what the public is saying, based on what I know and what I heard today, the Department of Defense needs to intervene immediately, track these drones and find out where they are coming from and what. “ “That’s what they do here,” Bramnick urged.

“This is not a joke. This is a serious matter. And what worries me the most is that as a human being, I would never have thought that drones the size of SUVs would be flying in the sky – (I would think) the Air Force, the military, someone would know.” “That’s pretty disturbing ” he said.

FBI chief says it’s “concerning” how little his agency knows about mysterious drones seen over New Jersey

On Monday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy commented on the sightings, describing the drones as “very sophisticated” and expressing frustration at the lack of clarity about their origins. The governor’s office had scheduled a meeting in Ewing, New Jersey, for Wednesday morning, but Murphy did not attend.

In response to the governor’s no-show, Pequannock Mayor Ryan Herd remarked, “Where are you, Phil Murphy?”

“I reached out to the Murphy administration. “You need to ask the Department of Defense to intervene here, and quickly,” Bramnick said.

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office released a statement Wednesday evening calling on Murphy to declare a state of emergency and issue an ordinance banning the use of recreational drones during nighttime hours.

Dozens of drones tracked a Coast Guard ship off New Jersey: US lawmaker

“The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and our law enforcement partners need quick and decisive action from the State of New Jersey. A state of emergency will help address these growing concerns and restore peace of mind to communities,” the release said.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., whose district includes parts of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, said he spent Monday night on the beach and spoke with several people, including a U.S. Coast Guard commanding officer stationed at Barnegat Light .

Smith learned from the Coast Guard commander that the night before “one of their 47-foot vessels, boats, was followed very closely by more than one….” Dozens of these drones.”

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On December 3, the FBI’s Newark field office released a statement requesting information about the reported drone sightings:

“The FBI Newark, the NJ State Police and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness are urging the public to report any information related to recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River. Witnesses have discovered the collection of things. Apparently they are drones and a possible fixed-wing aircraft. We have reports from the public and law enforcement going back several weeks.

Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.