White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the mystery drones flown across New Jersey in late 2024 were "authorized to be flown by the FAA" for research "and various other reasons" in the first press briefing of President Donald Trump's second administration.

(Gray News) - The drones that flew across New Jersey in recent months were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “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 Tuesday.

President Trump said Tuesday that the drone sightings over New Jersey late last year were either authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or were from hobbyists and enthusiasts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a statement from Trump at her first press briefing that the FAA had flown drones in the area for research purposes.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read a statement from President Trump which read in part, "this was not the enemy."

The unexplained, SUV-sized drones that caused a stir flying over the areas in the Northeast in November and December have returned. As of Sunday, Jan. 25.

The drones seen flying over New Jersey were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration, the White House said on Tuesday. The drones were seen not only over the Garden State but over other states in November, Fox News reported.

In her first official press briefing on Tuesday, President Trump's new press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, revealed that the drones had simply been authorized by the Federal

The people of New Jersey finally have an answer from the White House about the scores of drones that blanketed the region in paranoia at the end of last year. Or do they? In her first press room briefing, President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that the Federal Aviation Administration authorized the drones.

In a statement, President Trump said the drone flights that had gripped New Jersey were not enemy or foreign crafts.

Residents of New Jersey reacted with disbelief and frustration after the White House said mysterious drones seen in the skies were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for research. The state has been the epicenter of a wave of drone sightings, some of them extremely large and some spotted near sensitive locations.

The Trump administration said on Tuesday that the FAA authorized the drones to fly over New Jersey last year for research purposes. Few other details were provided.