Congressman Claims Drones Over New Jersey Were Launched by Iranian ‘Mothership’

The mysterious drone sightings across several counties in New Jersey during recent weeks were launched by an Iranian “mothership,” according to a congressman who spoke to Fox News on Wednesday. And while it seems like a completely outlandish claim given everything we know publicly right now, this isn’t some random crank on the internet. It’s an elected leader in the U.S. who sits on powerful committees and claims to have sources who can be trusted.

The mysterious flying vehicles have blinking lights and have sometimes been described as being as large as a car. Walt Miller, chief of police in New Jersey’s Evesham township, gave a press conference Friday where he said cops have been flooded with calls about the flying objects. But it’s unclear to most people who might be behind them.

At least it was unclear until Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican from New Jersey, said Wednesday that he knows for certain what they are. Rep. Drew is a member of the U.S. House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation and says he has reliable information that these drones are from a hostile source.

“I’ve gotten to know people and from very high sources, very qualified sources, very responsible sources, I’m going to tell you the real deal,” Van Drew said, prefacing his remarks on Fox News while talking with Harris Faulkner.

“Iran launched a mothership, probably about a month ago, that contains these drones. That mothership is off the east coast of the United States of America. They’ve launched drones—this is everything that we can see and hear. Again these are from high sources, I don’t say this lightly.”

Rep. Van Drew then goes on to admit there was a “probability” whatever these flying objects are could’ve been American, either as hobbyists or U.S.-government run, but he insisted, “we know it’s not our own government.”

“The third possibility was somebody, an adversarial country, doing this. Know that Iran made a deal with China to purchase drones, motherships, and technology in order to go forward,” said Rep. Van Drew. “The sources I have are good. They can’t reveal who they are because they are speaking to me in confidentiality. These drones should be shot down.”

But as insistent as Rep. Van Drew was that he knew where these drones were coming from, he did eventually start to hedge that it merely “could be” a mothership from Iran.

“Whether it was some crazy hobbyist that we can’t imagine, or whether it is Iran—and I think it very possibly could be—they should be shot down. We are not getting the full deal and the military is on alert with this,” Rep. Van Drew said.

Rep. Van Drew has called for the drones to be shot down. But experts aren’t quite sure what to make of claims that these could be from a hostile nation. As several people have pointed out on social media, these flying objects would likely be intercepted in some way rather quickly if they really were being operated by a foreign government.

“Regarding the New Jersey mystery drones that are appearing over military bases (among other locations), I think it’s rather key to note they aren’t being shot down or intercepted, even though military bases would be permitted to do this for security reasons,” Faine Greenwood, a researcher who’s worked for years on UAVs, wrote Tuesday on Bluesky.

Whatever happens, it’ll be interesting to see whether anyone in the intelligence community comes forward to support any of Rep. Van Drew’s claims. Because as of right now we only have his word on the topic.

“This isn’t just Jeff Van Drew… oh let’s you know let’s get on Harris’s show and say something outrageous,” Rep. Van Drew said of himself. “I’m telling you the straight deal from very high-positioned individuals who are telling me this. And the bottom line is they’re launching them. They are across the country.”

Van Drew even insisted that the U.S. government doesn’t have anything so advanced, another claim that seems a bit outrageous.

“We don’t even have anything like this. Our government, and certainly our hobbyists don’t. So think about it. Not only do I have the information but it’s also common sense,” Rep. Van Drew said.