Virginia
Gov. Youngkin addresses multiple drone sightings in Virginia
RICHMOND – Although multiple drone sightings in New Jersey have been gaining national attention, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Saturday addressed drone activity in Virginia following recent media reports concerning sightings in the state.
Youngkin issued the update after numerous sightings of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, were reported in the commonwealth, a press release said. On Friday, WDBJ7 in Roanoke received multiple reports about drone sightings in several areas.
“The Commonwealth of Virginia is home to a significant number of national security and critical infrastructure sites upon which our nation depends each and every day. I remain deeply concerned that Virginia has consistently sought information from federal partners, and to date, the information shared with the Commonwealth has been insufficient,” Youngkin said Saturday in the release. “The Virginia State Police Homeland Security Division and Virginia Department of Emergency Management continue to closely coordinate through our Fusion Center with the greater law enforcement and first responder community regarding drone activity in the Commonwealth. We will continue to engage with numerous federal partners and release further information as it becomes known and available.”
The public at-large can assist the state by reporting observations to the Virginia Fusion Center at VFC@vfc.vsp.virginia.gov or (877 )4VA-TIPS. Please do not attempt to interfere with UAVs by utilizing personally owned drones or any other airborne craft or attempting to capture the suspected drone/aircraft individually, the press release said.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).