White House Says Mystery Drones Authorized by FAA as Sightings Return

According to President Donald Trump, the drones—which witnesses have described as large and hovering in small clusters near homes, golf courses, and military installations—are “not the enemy.”

“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons,” said Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, reading Trump’s statement at a Tuesday press briefing. “Many of these drones were also hobbyists—recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones.”

The second half of Trump’s statement aligns with what federal investigators at the FBI, FAA, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have reiterated—that most of the reported sightings are “cases of mistaken identity” and pose no threat to public safety. The FBI in December said it has received thousands of tips. But fewer than 100 have been deemed credible, with the vast majority believed to be misidentified aircraft, birds, stars, or even legal drones.

The first half—that drones were authorized by the FAA— though, is new information. FLYING reached out to the FAA for confirmation of the alleged authorizations and asked if the agency was previously aware that the reported sightings were linked to authorized drone activity, but was directed to the White House.

Leavitt did not elaborate on the “research and study” that informed the White House’s conclusion or the operations the drones are conducting. If the reported activity is indeed linked to FAA-authorized drones, it would raise questions about why the agency withheld that information and the steps it took following the sightings: launching a full investigation, establishing TFRs, and sending “advanced detection technology” to the region.

As of Wednesday, one TFR remains active in New Jersey, covering Trump’s golf course in Bedminster through Friday. Violating a TFR or operating a drone illegally can bring a civil penalty of $75,000 and result in the FAA suspending or revoking the pilot’s license.

The rest of the restrictions, however, lifted earlier this month—and it appears the drones are back.

Enigma Labs—a community-based platform where users can upload photos, video, and descriptions of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs)—told FLYING it received and validated 488 drone-related reports across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., between November 20 and Monday. Enigma said it has received hundreds of reports in January alone, with one-quarter of them coming after the TFRs expired.

The FAA did not address FLYING’s inquiry about whether the agency recorded a similar uptick after the TFRs were lifted.

Enigma also said it recorded an “immediate” 44 percent dip in reports after the bans were implemented in mid-December. The company maintains a live map with locations and descriptions of sightings.

“Irrespective of the ban, the type of sightings remain consistent in January in quantity, size, proximity to sensitive military bases,” an Enigma spokesperson told FLYING.

Enigma began fielding submissions in late 2022 and says it has received tens of thousands of UAP reports. Human moderators score each sighting between one and 100 based on the quality of the description and media, rejecting incomplete submissions. All of the data is self-reported, and eight percent of witnesses self-identify as pilots.

According to Enigma, reports spiked during the second week of December as the media picked up the story, which it said may have contributed to “copycat activity” or “false positives.” But many users describe similar phenomena. For example, 364 unique reports were fielded within 25 miles of military bases, per an Enigma case study shared with FLYING. A significant number of witnesses reported large aircraft, unusual light patterns or movement—such as hovering for hours at a time—and “swarms” of five or more aircraft.

One user, who claims to be a commercial U.S. Coast Guard captain with over 50,000 hours of experience, reported strange activity on December 16 near Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey allegedly witnessed by six others, including a United Airlines flight attendant of 35 years. The user’s description is accompanied by videos that appear to depict a hovering aircraft with red and green flashing lights.

“I know the difference between an airplane either large or small as well as helicopters, which all have specified navigational lights and all port red and starboard green. This is a UAP/drone,” said the user. “We witnessed this object descend instantly from approx. 2,000 feet down to tree top level and back up again in under two seconds.”

Another report posted January 15, accompanied by a video depicting a group of flashing white lights in the sky, describes months of “coordinated light phenomena” near Brick, New Jersey.

“I'm a former pilot/instructor, and other than identifying this as an incredibly advanced drone, I cannot justify what I saw,” the user wrote.

According to the White House, there is nothing nefarious about the sightings. The FAA, though, has yet to confirm Trump’s claim that it authorized the drones.

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