The mystery of large drone sightings not only on the East Coast but in other locations including on the Texas Coast continues.
You can see our first story on the topic here.
In mid-December 2024 according to the Chronicle, residents of Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula reported observing approximately 20 drones flying in from the Gulf of Mexico toward the Galveston Ship Channel. These drones appeared during evening hours and remained in the area for several hours, raising concerns among the local population.
Around the same period, according to the Washington Examiner in White Settlement, a suburb of Fort Worth, drones were spotted near the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth and a nearby Texas Army National Guard armory. The sightings prompted investigations involving the FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Air Force. Local police reported that the drones were observed in restricted airspace, leading to heightened security measures
Sabine Lake Reports
In the latest episode of Dark Outdoors® the Texas Fish & Game-sponsored podcast, we have an exclusive story of a huge drone sighting at Sabine Lake along with a sighting of multiple drones in Orange County and reports of drones near Winnie along with much more.
Here’s an official statement from the Department of Defense.
There are more than one million drones lawfully registered with the FAA in the United States and there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones lawfully in the sky on any given day. With the technology landscape evolving, we expect that number to increase over time.
FBI has received tips of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks with approximately 100 leads generated, and the federal government is supporting state and local officials in investigating these reports. Consistent with each of our unique missions and authorities, we are quickly working to prioritize and follow these leads. We have sent advanced detection technology to the region. And we have sent trained visual observers.
Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones. We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.
That said, we recognize the concern among many communities. We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement. We urge Congress to enact counter-UAS legislation when it reconvenes that would extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge.
Additionally, there have been a limited number of visual sightings of drones over military facilities in New Jersey and elsewhere, including within restricted air space. Such sightings near or over DoD installations are not new. DoD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate. Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place.