Mayor Michael Melham of Belleville, New Jersey, expressed growing concerns Thursday on Newsmax about unidentified drones repeatedly flying in grid-like patterns over critical infrastructure in the state.
Melham has raised alarms about the unidentified drones over a "four-week nightmare."
Speaking on "Greg Kelly Reports," Melham criticized state and federal authorities for their lack of answers regarding the mysterious drone activity.
"Unfortunately, our state government is failing us. We're not getting any answers from them," Melham said.
"And then we actually got sent over to the federal government. We had a White House briefing on Monday — White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs ... Sadly, it was the same. You guys are seeing things. There's nothing to see here."
Despite official assurances that there is "nothing nefarious," Melham said local observations suggest otherwise.
"We know some facts," he said. "The facts that we do know are that there are drones hovering over our critical infrastructure. That's a fact. We were told that by the New Jersey State Police."
Melham described the drones as flying in consistent patterns and returning repeatedly to the same locations, and he speculated that their behavior could indicate a search or surveillance mission.
"When you put a drone up in the air, you can put it up for five minutes, take pictures, and do mapping, and you're done," Melham said. "The fact that these drones keep returning to the same spots and keep flying in a grid-like pattern, almost like a formation, it appears to be on patrol. It leads us to believe that they are searching for something or, as we say, sniffing for something."
Melham floated several possibilities for what the drones might be seeking, including threats such as radioactive material or dirty bombs.
"I have speculated in previous interviews they could be looking for anything," he said. "We have Port Newark here in New Jersey. Perhaps our federal government is aware of a threat. Perhaps it's a suitcase nuke or radioactive material. I believe that those drones are flying up in the sky in a grid-like pattern, searching or sniffing or something."
The mayor also expressed confidence that federal agencies have the resources to address the issue and suggested they might already be involved.
"I most certainly believe that our federal government has the assets to do that, and I believe that's what's happening," he added.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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