Drone updates: Authorities warn people about taking matters into their own hands

Authorities in New Jersey are warning the public about dangerously taking drone matters into their own hands, as residents and lawmakers continue to demand answers after another slew of sightings on the East Coast.

There has been an increase in pilots "being hit in the eyes with lasers because people on the ground think they see an Unmanned Aircraft Systems," the FBI in Newark and New Jersey State Police warned on Monday.

"We're also concerned people will take matters into their own hands and fire a weapon at an aircraft," FBI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson Delgado said in a video message released on Monday. "Not only is this act against the law, but it poses an incredible danger to the pilots and passengers on those aircraft."

Dozens of agencies have been out daily to find answers and track down any operators acting "illegally or with nefarious intent," the FBI office said.

"However, there could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly as UAS," the agency said.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have deployed infrared cameras and drone detection technology to ensure the drones flying over the New Jersey and New York area aren't harmful, according to a law enforcement source.

The agencies are also looking at social media and other photos to determine what exactly is in the photos. Most of the photos and video depict manned aircraft, according to a law enforcement source.

There have also been no reports from pilots about seeing any drones in the sky, according to the source.

Another other issue federal authorities are dealing with is over-reporting of potentially seeing drones, according to the source. In the New York-New Jersey area, where they are being spotted, there are very few restrictions.

President-elect Donald Trump called on the government to provide more information to the public on the drone situation.

"Our military knows, and our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense," he said during remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. "Something strange is going on and for some reason they don't want to tell the people. And they should."

When asked by a reporter if he had received an intelligence briefing on the drones, Trump said, "I don't want to comment on that."

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby pushed back on Trump's characterization of the government's knowledge of drone sightings, telling reporters Monday that the government is not "obfuscating" any information.

Kirby said the government was “making a very good faith effort to be as open and direct with all of you and with the American people as we can and that will continue,” but that he would not speculate or provide any information unless it was accurate.

There are no known national security concerns at this time, he said.

Matthew Murello, the mayor of Washington Township, New Jersey, told "Good Morning America" on Monday he believes "something's going on," expressing concern and frustration at the lack of answers from federal authorities.

"I'm not trying to stir anything up, but we all know -- if you just turn on the television -- that drones can be used in an aggressive fashion," Murello said. "They can carry payloads. They can be used for all kinds of really aggressive-type things."

Kirby said Thursday that "many" of the reported drone sightings appear to be lawfully operated manned aircraft, adding there was "no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus."

But Murello said those living under the drones are not reassured.

"That's a wonderful thing to tell your residents," he said when asked about Kirby's assurances. "That's fantastic, until it's not."

"Nobody knows what these things are doing," Murello added. "Best case scenario, they're just getting video of us. Again, I don't know why out here. We're nothing but farm country. If you want videos of cows, I'll be happy to send you some."

Murello cast doubt on the official statements suggesting "no perceived threat."

"We've heard that before from our federal government -- 'We're not looking, we're not watching you, we're not watching your calls, we're not doing everything and don't worry -- we're here and we're here to help you'," he said.

Murello was among a group of New Jersey mayors who wrote to Gov. Phil Murphy asking for more information. The mayors were subsequently invited to a meeting, but Murello said the governor did not attend.

Instead, state police told the mayors they had little information on the drones. Authorities, Murello said, could not explain why some drones are being flown without emitting radio frequencies or using transponders -- both of which are required by law when a drone is used at night.

Murello said he had personally seen "a couple" of drones "around my town." He disputed Kirby's statement that many of the reported sightings were of misidentified manned aircraft.

"I have no way of telling you how big it was, but I can sure as heck can tell what they sound like," the mayor said. "And I know that they are not. What Adm. Kirby said -- which is a manned aircraft -- that just isn't right."

"I've seen multiple rotor, helicopter-type aircraft hovering above the tree line," Murello said, recalling one police official who said the drones can be up to 6 feet in diameter. The fact that most are spotted at night makes it "very difficult to kind of get an idea on them," Murello added.

Reports of drone activity forced the temporary closure of runways at New York's Stewart International Airport on Friday. The potential danger to aircraft is causing concern on the East Coast, Murello said.

"If pilots don't see these things and they're 6 foot in diameter and they hit an airplane -- that is not going to end well," he said.

The airspace over Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio was closed temporarily for four hours Friday night into early Saturday due to drone incursions, a base spokesman confirmed to ABC News. The drones, which were spotted over and near the base, had no impact to base residents, facilities or assets, a spokesperson said. There have not been any other reported sightings since then.

The military has no reason to suspect there is any threat related to reported drone sightings, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Monday.

"There are thousands of drones flown around the U.S. on a daily basis. So as a result, it's not that unusual to see drones in the sky, nor is it an indication of malicious activity or any public safety threat," he said, noting that the same applies to drones flown near military installations.

"Some fly near or over our bases from time to time. That in and of itself, is not unusual, and the vast majority pose no physical threat to our forces or impact our operations," Ryder said.

Senators are pushing federal agencies for more information. Last week, New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim wrote to the heads of the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Homeland Security requesting meetings.

"We write with urgent concern regarding the unmanned aerial system activity that has affected communities across New York and New Jersey in recent days," the letter said, requesting a briefing "as soon as possible on how your agencies are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of these incursions."

The mystery has caught the public's attention, with photos and videos of alleged sightings proliferating across social media. One FBI official told reporters Saturday that out of the nearly 5,000 tips the agency had received, less than 100 generated credible leads for further investigation.

Many of the reported drone sightings have actually been manned aircraft, Ryder said. Drone reports may also be inflated due to an aircraft getting reported several times, he said.

Following a briefing with New Jersey mayors and multiple federal agencies Monday afternoon, Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali said there are no perceived threats posed by the drones, but that there is still "no information" about their owners, operators or origins.

"While it is reassuring that multiple agencies are actively investigating the situation, the unsettling part is that we still don't know who is behind these drones or why they are appearing now," he said in a social media update.

As the search for answers continues, Murello said he sees "only two logical conclusions."

"One is somebody knows something and they're just not willing to tell us," the mayor said, suggesting potential national security sensitivities around the Morristown Airport and President-elect Donald Trump's Bedminster golf course.

"If this is an area that needs to be surveilled in the eventuality that the incoming president is going to spend a lot of time here, you know what? I'm fine with that. Just simply say it's an issue of national security," he said.

An "even scarier" explanation is that "we're the greatest nation in the world with the most technologically advanced military on the planet Earth, and we don't know what the hell these things are," Murello added. "That's scary."

The DHS and FAA have both warned against attempting to shoot down a suspected drone, citing the danger of falling debris and ammunition.

It is illegal to shoot down a drone. Anyone who does so could be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Murello said he would "definitely" not advise anyone to try to down a drone. "You also don't know if you do hit it, where it's going to come down and where are the rounds of ammunition going to land," he said.

"But I will say that, speaking with friends of mine that are current and former state troopers, we have the technology to be able to bring a drone down," Murello added, suggesting it was "absolutely silly" that law enforcement authorities are not authorized to down drones unless they are deemed a threat by the federal government.

"We don't need to bring all of them down, we need to bring one of them down," Murello continued. "We bring one down, we figure out what's going on."

ABC News' Luis Martinez, Matt Seyler, Aaron Katersky, Sarah Kolinovsky and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.