On Tuesday, US lawmakers held closed-door hearings with members of the intelligence community about the drone activity that has captured the American imagination and conspiracy theories.
The story took a different turn when Belleville, New Jersey Mayor Michael Melham announced that some radioactive material had been removed from Newark Harbor and that the drones were “looking for something.”
“We know there is a threat coming through Port Newark,” Melham told Fox 5 New York on Tuesday. “There's an alert now that radioactive material went off in New Jersey on December 2nd. He has reached his destination. The item was damaged and empty.”
On December 13, a report was released by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, indicating that a cargo containing “less than Category 3” radioactive material had been damaged and had arrived empty.
According to the report, the contents of the container were lost in transit on December 2nd and the USNRC was notified on December 5th.
Melham continued: “This is an example of what I think we are breathing. “I think that's why we don't see the upheaval that we've seen in Lellville because we have properties that are going up and flying and smelling. It's kind of moving, but now we're seeing alerts that it's happening in Pennsylvania.
USNRC officials explain that radioactive material “less than Category 3” is unlikely to cause lasting harm to humans.
“The categories indicate the significance of the hazard of the material involved; it is the International Atomic Energy Agency's level,” a USNRC spokesperson told Decrypt. “Category one and two contain hazardous materials.”
While the thought of radioactive materials may conjure up images of nuclear meltdowns, weapons or the Incredible Hulk, a USNRC spokesperson said the material in question is comparable to a gamma knife. A gamma knife is a device used in radiosurgery that delivers highly focused beams of radiation to treat brain tumors and cancer.
“Category three is widely used in industry and medicine,” the spokesperson added. “Below category three refers to very small amounts of radioactive material, which pose no threat to public safety.”
The radioactive material was found last week, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Prediction.
“The radioactive source – about six inches long and 1.5 millimeters in diameter – was repackaged and shipped to the manufacturer on December 10, 2024,” an NJDoEP spokesperson said in a decryption. “The Ge-68 pin is a very low-level radiation source approved for shipping via common carriers such as FedEx.”
“The New Jersey Department of Environmental Prediction did not use drones,” he added, disputing claims that the drones were scanning for missing radioactive material.
Still, the mystery surrounding drones continues to grip the nation, with sightings at homes and government facilities.
Despite efforts to quell fears — from alien invasion to messenger plasmids and foreign spies — concerned citizens have filed more than 5,000 reports of these sightings.
The Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense issued a joint statement Tuesday saying drone sightings can be explained by normal air traffic, drone pilots and natural phenomena.
Echoing statements made by White House and Pentagon officials last week, after the agencies reviewed information and recommendations related to drones, the views included “legitimate commercial drones, recreational and law enforcement drones, as well as human-powered drones.” Fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and helicopters have been mistakenly reported as drones.
“We are not aware of any unusual activity that poses a national security or public safety threat to civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast, and we are not reviewing the activity to date,” the agencies said.
Public hearings in Washington have brought growing attention to anonymous aerial phenomena in recent weeks. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have pushed for more transparency from the military and intelligence agencies, citing natural security and public safety concerns.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair and Josh Kittner
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