The White House says that the New Jersey drones that sparked outrage were "not the enemy"

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the reported drone sightings that generated fear in New Jersey last month were FAA-authorized drones and "not the enemy."

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has now said that many of those drones were approved and known by the administration.

"After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons," Leavitt said at a briefing Tuesday.

"Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones," she added. "In time, it got worse due to curiosity. This was not the enemy."

Drone sightings were recorded in at least six states, including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio, while arrests were made in Massachusetts and California for drone operations in prohibited locations.

In December, New York Stewart International Airport had to close its runways for almost an hour due to drone activity in the airspace. New York Governor Kathy Hochul requested federal intervention, claiming the situation had "gone too far."

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wrote to many federal officials, including former President Joe Biden, pushing them to take action on a national scale.

Murphy wrote that he wanted to “encourage Congress to pass legislation empowering state and local law enforcement entities to use advanced detection and mitigation technologies to deal with UAS.”

The FBI and DHS have stated that they think the majority of drone sightings are due to "mistaken identity," with members of the public misidentifying small, lawfully functioning manned aircraft as drones.