Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith has joined the many calls from Americans demanding answers about the wave of drones flying over the East Coast.
Unexplained drone sightings have been reported over military bases and airports in recent days in the northeastern United States.
New Jersey has been at the epicenter of the recent flurry of flying objects which have baffled experts and concerned local lawmakers – as the central government flounders to provide concrete answers about what’s going on.
And, with the government’s latest explanation blaming hobbyists, Smith managed to transform a debate over the New York Giants into a rant at the White House.
Smith joined Shannon Sharpe and co. on Monday’s episode of First Take as the panel discussed the Giants’ latest loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Giants, who play at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, suffered a 35-14 defeat at the weekend, sparking Sharpe to claim the fanbase ‘might need to fly some more planes overhead.’
Stephen A. Smith has joined the many calls demanding answers about the wave of drones
Large drones that have reportedly plagued states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York
The former tight end was referring to Giants fans’ recent attempts to trigger a response from the team’s owners by flying a plane over the stadium calling for a fix to their woes.
However, the quip opened the door to a discussion on other flying objects as Smith bizarrely used it to launch into an explosive rant about the drone controversy.
‘Let me tell you something, these damn drones in New York City,’ Smith said. ‘The United States government, get it together! Get it together! There’s drone flying over people’s houses in Jersey and New York!’
‘I saw Independence Day, dammit! I ain’t underestimating none of that stuff! Figure it out!,’ he added, likening the spate of drones to the 1996 Sci-Fi film starring Will Smith.
Since mid-November, a wave of unexplained drone sightings above central Jersey has left both law enforcement and the general public watching the skies, hunting for clues on what these mysterious night flights might be.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim have both gone out on drone hunts, hoping for answers. The FBI, Homeland Security, state police and other agencies are investigating.
Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety, but many state and municipal lawmakers have nonetheless called for stricter rules about who can fly the unmanned aircraft — and to be allowed to shoot them out of the sky.
The state tallied 12 sightings Saturday and just one on Sunday.
Since mid-November, a wave of unexplained drone sightings above central Jersey has left both law enforcement and the general public baffled
The growing anxiety among some residents is not lost on the Biden administration, which has faced criticism from Trump for not dealing with the matter more aggressively.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Monday said the federal government has yet to identify any public safety or national security risks from reported drone sightings in the northeast, saying officials believe they were lawfully flown drones, planes or even stars.
‘There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States,’ Kirby said. ‘And there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day. That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.’
The federal government has deployed personnel and advanced technology to investigate the reports in New Jersey and other states, and is evaluating each tip reported by citizens, he said.
The FBI received more than 5000 tips in recent weeks, he added, with only ‘about 100’ deemed credible enough to require additional investigation.