(LEX 18) — Hundreds of drone sighting reports continue to arise on the East Coast, as federal officials reveal they have no evidence indicating a national security threat.
The mystery has the whole country watching, catching the attention of drone pilots right here in Kentucky.
Ben Childers, a certified drone pilot himself, said the drones he uses for his real estate photography business look nothing like the ones appearing in videos from New Jersey and New York.
"These are huge," he said. "I've never seen any like that and I'm very intrigued to see what's going on."
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security revealed in a statement on Wednesday they don't believe there is any "malicious activity" to report, and believe some of the reports are of lawful, manned aircrafts, not drones.
In a joint statement, the FBI and DHS wrote:
“We take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports. To be clear, they have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage. While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities."
For those wondering what to do if a suspicious drone appears near their property, the best option is to make a report to local authorities.
Shooting down a drone is a federal crime, and could cost a legal pilot thousands of dollars.
From photography to land surveys, groups across the country use drones for a wide range of reasons.
"It really changed the game really on assessing the extent of flooding as well as storm damage, all as a whole," said Mike Kochasic, a meteorologist and drone pilot for the National Weather Service.
As more videos continue to pop up across the internet, investigators are continuing to look for answers about the mysterious "drones".
