Former CIA Operations officer Laura Ballman says the mysterious drone sightings are ‘extremely unsettling’ as the public seeks answers on ‘Fox News Live.’
Drones sightings across New Jersey have unsettled residents for weeks with no official explanations being offered. Ballman argued that circumstances around the drone sightings suggest it may be a U.S. operation.
“Deducing the statements from [National Security spokesman] John Kirby that these drones are not operating illegally, coupled with several op-eds that have been out there in the last 24 hours about the need to look at our detection systems, makes me think perhaps this is actually a classified exercise to test either evasion technology or detection technology in urban areas,” Ballman said.
Ballman went on to say she would be “shocked” if the drones were related to the CIA, saying it is “not their mandate to operate in the United States.” She added that she is “troubled” by why the U.S. government has not been forthcoming with information regarding the drones.
MORE THAN 20 DAYS INTO PHENOMENON, PENTAGON STILL HAS NO ANSWERS ABOUT ORIGINS OF MYSTERIOUS NJ DRONES
A map indicating drone density in Monmouth County, New Jersey. (Courtesy: Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office)
DRONE MYSTERY: NEW JERSEY HOMEOWNERS THREATEN TO TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS IF GOVERNMENT DOESN’T ACT
U.S. national security officials sought to dispel concerns about the mysterious drones flying over the Northeast in a recent call with reporters, one going as far as describing nationwide uneasiness as “a slight overreaction.”
The call, attended by Fox News Digital Saturday, was hosted by senior Biden administration officials, including representatives from the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Security Council (NSC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD).
The senior officials remained tight-lipped about the origins of the drones, which are still being investigated. The mysterious aircraft were first spotted flying above northern New Jersey in mid-November and have been repeatedly seen by thousands of residents over the past few weeks.
Map showing some of the places where mystery drones have been spotted in Northeastern USA in December 2024. (Fox News)
MORE THAN 20 DAYS INTO PHENOMENON, PENTAGON STILL HAS NO ANSWERS ABOUT ORIGINS OF MYSTERIOUS NJ DRONES
During the call with reporters, an FBI official said his agency has received 5,000 tips since the first mysterious drone was seen flying above the Garden State in November. Of those 5,000 tips, fewer than 100 warranted further investigation, the official said.
The FBI official added that investigators have found no evidence of large-scale unmanned drone activity despite the recent uptick in drone activity in recent weeks.
New Jersey State Assemblyman Paul Kanitra took a photo of what appears to be multiple drones hovering in the New Jersey sky on Thursday, Dec. 13. (Paul Kanitra / “Fox News @ Night”)
“We’re doing our best to find the origin of that specific … those drone activities,” the official said. “But I think there has been a slight overreaction.”
Echoing comments from the FBI representative, a DHS official noted that, while his agency is not dismissing all tips about the drones as non-credible, “the amount of actual drone activity is likely less than what’s being reported.”
Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
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A person was hospitalized following an emergency response to the Aquarium MBTA Station in Boston overnight.
Crews could be seen gathered outside the station entrance, and Boston EMS says one person was transported.
No additional information was immediately available.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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Five baseball and softball teams from the Pittsburgh area brought home hardware from Penn State University earlier this week after winning PIAA state championship titles.
With a 6-5 win vs. Holy Ghost Prep on Thursday, Indiana became just the fifth baseball team from the WPIAL to win back-to-back state championships.
Indiana (22-4) held a 6-3 lead through 5 innings, holding on in bottom of the 7th to win the game and earn gold at Penn State University’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Brady Oakes got the win on the mound for Indiana, striking out four batters while Charlie Manzi came into the game in a relief role, striking out five and getting the save.
“It was harder this year,” Indiana coach Dan Petroff said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We got everybody’s best effort every game and that made it more special. This feels like we ran a marathon and now we’re done. We can breathe a little, I guess.”
Shaler Area made it back to the top of the mountain for high school softball in Pennsylvania, beating Abington Heights on Friday with a mercy rule victory at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park.
Bria Bosiljevac struck out eight batters on the mound for Shaler (24-1), shutting out Abington Heights while only allowing one hit.
Haley Machajewski ended the game in the 5th inning, hitting a walk-off grand slam to claim gold for Shaler.
“It really was everything. It’s full circle since we started,” Machajewski said. “Our freshman year winning silver, to come back and win gold and walk it off, especially as my last hit — this program has given me so much, and that was a great way to give back to it.”
“I’m so excited for them,” Shaler coach Tom Sorce said to the Post-Gazette. “All year, they wanted to get back here and do the job since we lost in 2023. I’m so happy for them.”
Union Area has gone back-to-back and won its second straight PIAA 1A softball championship.
With a 7-3 win against Holy Cross, Union (22-2) are now repeat champions.
The Scotties, who were playing in the 1A title game for a third straight season, scored early and often, jumping out to a 4-0 lead that they never gave back.
Korynne Shannon had eight strikeouts on the mound for Union, allowing 7 hits in the complete game win.
It was an all-WPIAL state championship game in Class 2A and Laurel came out on top, beating Chartiers-Houston 7-1 to claim the school’s first softball championship.
Laurel (20-6) gave up a run in the opening inning but rallied from there and never looked back, scoring all 7 of their runs between the third and sixth innings.
“When we lost [in the WPIAL semifinals], we could either feel sorry for ourselves or we could go battle,” Laurel coach Bill Garroway said. “This team, the seniors especially, are very resilient. We still had life. Whoever was in front of us, we were going to battle.”
Riley Balcom got the win on the mound for Laurel, striking out five batters and allowing just four hits.
Hempfield has now won the most PIAA softball championships among all teams in the WPIAL.
With a 5-4 win vs. Owen J. Roberts, Hempfield (25-1) are in a class of their own when it comes to state championships among Pittsburgh-area softball teams.
Hempfield rallied from a 3-0 deficit, scoring five runs between the 4th and 5th innings, hanging on for victory after allowing Owen J. Roberts to draw back within one run in the top of the 7th.
“It’s super exciting to bring another PIAA title back to Hempfield,” head coach Tina Skelly-Madison said to the Post-Gazette. “It’s an awesome accomplishment.
Julia Carhola struck out seven batters in the win for Hempfield.
WALLINGFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Hundreds of athletes are competing in the 12th annual Gauntlet 5K on Wednesday morning.
The race features adaptive obstacle courses on the campus of Gaylord Hospital. Many of the athletes participating received treatment or went through rehab at Gaylord Hospital.
Much of the proceeds raised goes back to the hospital’s adaptive sports program and sports association. The program offers 18 adaptive sports at little to no cost to participants. It is the state’s largest adaptive sports program dedicated to improving the lives of anyone with physical disabilities.
Jess Youngblood, a Gauntlet adaptive athlete, said she is committed to giving it her all on the course.
“I was very active before all of this,” Youngblood said. “So being in the wheelchair is definitely a different experience. But I don’t let it slow me down.”
The first race kicks off at 8 a.m. and races will continue through 2 p.m.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
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