New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says the federal government has the authority to shoot down the mysterious drones spotted flying over his state and that he "wouldn’t be opposed" to them playing a "more robust role" in the matter.
Murphy made the remark during an interview with WNYC as the public and lawmakers remain baffled over the source of the large drones. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., told Fox News this week that a Coast Guard commander said "one of their 47-foot vessels, boats, was trailed very closely by more than a dozen of these drones."
When the interviewer suggested whether one of the drones could be shot down so officials could get a closer look, Murphy said: "The feds have that authority, and I'd like to see them play a more robust role. I wouldn't be opposed to that. Let me put it that way."
"I want folks out there to know -- listen, you're frustrated. So are we. But... we're going to stay at it, I promise you, this is our top priority. But based on everything we know, we don't see any evidence of a risk to public safety. And clearly, and that's largely based on the feds input. If that changes, we will shout it from the mountaintop," Murphy also said.
DOZENS OF DRONES TRAILED A COAST GUARD VESSEL OFF NEW JERSEY: LAWMAKER
The Democrat said his state government is running down every theory of what the source of the drones could be.
"I'm relying overwhelmingly on the experts in the federal government who do this for a living. There's no evidence that anything is armed," he said. "There's some theories out there. Again, we take nothing off the table. Even if somebody says something crazy with absolutely no evidence. We've been running everything down."
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said Wednesday that "very qualified" and "reliable" sources believe the mystery drones flying over New Jersey are originating from an Iranian "mother ship" parked off the U.S. East Coast.
However, Murphy called that a "wild assertion" and added "The last thing we need is fearmongering out of some members of Congress."
"There is some sense out there that we know more than we're saying. I wish in some respects I could tell you the answer is yes, [but] we don't. And I believe the feds. If this is a U.S. government activity, then I'll be the most surprised guy in the state," he concluded.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
