FBI responds to mysterious drones: 'We just don't know'

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- A top FBI official testified Tuesday before a Congressional Subcommittee that the agency doesn't know who is responsible for the dozens of drone sightings in recent weeks over New Jersey.

There have also been reports of unidentified flying objects above Staten Island and Brooklyn.

Robert W. Wheeler Jr, assistant director of the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group, was asked "Is public safety at risk?"

Wheeler responded, "There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don't know, and that's the concerning part."

When asked who is responsible for flying the drones, Wheeler answered "We do not attribute that to an individual or a group yet, we're investigating, but I don't have an answer as to who is responsible for that."

U.S. Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey sent a 2-page letter Tuesday to the Director of the FBI and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It said in part "I urge you to share any relevant information about these drone sightings with the public. Without transparency, I believe that rumors, fear, and misinformation will continue to spread."

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the drone sightings at a briefing Tuesday. Jean-Pierre said DHS and the FBI are handling it, adding "I'm not going to go into what they could be or could not be, from here, that is something that is being looked at by respective agencies."

When she was asked if the president was briefed on this, Jean-Pierre answered "I don't have a timeline but he certainly has been made aware of this."