Former Navy pilot says he rules out commercial contractors, doubts fed involvement in NJ drone sightings

Former F-18 U.S. Navy fighter pilot Lt. Ryan Graves said he dismissed the involvement of commercial contractors in drone sightings reported around New Jersey in recent days. 

“Based on my analysis of the situation and the statements made by the Pentagon and the legislative branch, I cannot believe that this is our own government acting in such confusion. God help us if so,” Graves told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum Thursday on “The Story.”

“It’s the same for commercial contractors,” he continued. “There’s zero benefit, all risk for operating these things so close to the ground, especially if it’s some type of classified equipment.”

Graves concluded his analysis leads the mystery to “foreign adversaries or something else.”

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“We’ve heard directly from the Pentagon that there is no so-called ‘mothership’ off the coast of Virginia and New Jersey that is launching these items,” Graves said. 

“We have some of the most sophisticated radar systems on the Eastern seaboard. We should, with great certainty, know exactly where these objects are, where they’re going and where they’re setting down if they are. So, either these things have the ability to counter those technologies, or we’re simply lying about what’s happening.”

Over the past week, leaders from both parties in New Jersey have addressed public concern over reports of drone sightings and frustration over the lack of clear answers.

On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy described the drones as “very sophisticated” and expressed his frustration with the lack of clarity surrounding their origin.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., shared on “The Story” that he spent Monday night on a beach and spoke with a U.S. Coast Guard commanding officer who recounted an incident from the previous night in which a Coast Guard 47-foot vessel was closely followed by more than a dozen drones.

By Wednesday, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., sent a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker that urged the agencies to provide municipal and county officials with a briefing on the drone activity and requested that any available information be shared with the public.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said on “The Faulkner Focus” Wednesday “very qualified” and “reliable” sources suspect the drones seen over the Garden State could be connected to an Iranian “mothership” positioned off the East Coast — a claim that was subsequently denied by the Pentagon.

State Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-N.J., called on the Department of Defense to come to the state to investigate the mysterious drone activity Wednesday afternoon. 

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House Speaker Mike Johnson disclosed he was getting a classified briefing Thursday on the reported drone sightings in the Garden State. 

Graves told McCallum he is urging the “full force” of the government and Pentagon to be deployed to determine the nature of these objects — identifying, characterizing and, if necessary, selecting a primary target to bring down for further examination.

“It seems like the different branches of the government aren’t communicating very well on this problem,” Graves said. “And for me, it leads me to believe that there is a true uncertainty about what’s going on here. I find it hard to believe that the Biden administration can continue this policy of cognitive dissonance on this topic. Hundreds of people are seeing these events.” 

Graves added that the reported drone sightings are “not restricted to just people on the ground.”

“My nonprofit, Americans for Safe Aerospace, has been receiving reports from commercial pilots, military pilots and veterans for over a year now, showing how consistent and how problematic this issue is at altitude where they’re flying around,” Graves said. “We need to have a better coordinated response and actually listen to the people on the ground and in the air that are seeing things.” 

Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.