A spate of eerie drone sightings have raised questions about what can be done about the eerie machines. President-elect Donald Trump has suggested the government should shoot them out of the sky, while some civilians have pledged to take action themselves. 

The FAA warned that it is unlawful to shoot down drones — and the action could result in steep civil or criminal penalties. 

“While shooting down a drone will probably not result in the same punishment as causing a passenger aircraft to crash, it is still a clear violation of federal law and federal prosecutors will likely view prosecution of this act as a worthwhile endeavour,” Paul Townsend, a New York criminal defense lawyer at Robert C. Gottlieb & Associates, told The Post.

Destroying an aircraft carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

In New York, intentionally damaging someone else’s property is a Class E felony if the drone costs more than $250 — and carries a potential of up to four years in prison, Townsend said, adding that additional charges could result from using a firearm. 

In 2019, a Long Island man was charged with criminal mischief and prohibited use of a weapon for allegedly using his shotgun to shoot a drone out of the sky.

While a growing number of politicians are suggesting the federal government shoot down the drone, that effort is complicated by defense regulations and concerns about collateral damage to civilians.

New Jersey Senator-elect Andy Kim says that after reviewing flight data he has concluded that the majority of unidentified aircraft he witnessed flying over the Garden State's sky were actually planes.

"After going out with police to observe reports of possible drones, I was with the help of civilian pilots and others able to do deeper analysis and concluded that most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes," Kim posted on X.

Kim had gone out with local NJ police Thursday and observed multiple unidentified aerial objects flying over the airspace of Round Valley Reservoir. The soon-to-be Senator has called on Federal officials to release more information about the dozens of reported drones flying over New Jersey.

A New Jersey lawmaker want a drone — and he wants one now.

Republic Congressman Chris Smith is demanding The Pentagon shoot down one of the nearly 1,000 drones that have been spotted above the Garden State since Nov. 19, so answers can be had.

“Why can’t we bag at least one drone and get to the bottom of this?” Smith asked during a Saturday news conference in Seaside Heights.

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A New Jersey state senator slammed the federal government's response to the spate of eerie drone sightings across the Northeast on Saturday, suggesting that officials were hiding the true purpose of the drones.

State Senator Jon Brannick (R-NJ) said he was concerned there "is something very secret going on," after the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security officials denied the drones were a threat to the U.S. in a Saturday morning interview with Newsnation.

"Whatever these drones are doing the government really doesn't want us to know. What that must mean is they're more concerned with us getting knowledge being afraid of that information then having no knowledge and be and having all these questions. That's why I'm worried about it.

"There must be something going on that they can't tell us because they are so fearful of what the public's gonna do when they hear what the drones are doing," the Republican lawmaker added.

Reported drone sightings surged over the last month, with at least 3,000 reported sightings since November 18. Drones have been sighted near sensitive U.S. military installations in New Jersey and Germany.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby brushed off concerns about the drones in a Thursday briefing, telling reporters that investigators couldn't verify the sightings and civilians reporting drones were mistakenly identifying planes and helicopters in the sky for drones.

Bramnick argued that a no-fly zone and a limited state of emergency should be instituted, echoing concerns from New Jersey's largest utility operator, who asked the Federal Aviation Administration for a no-fly zone after drones were spotted hovering over the Salem Nuclear Power Plant.

Republican New Jersey assemblyman Mike Inganamort claims he saw three drones Friday night — with reports on the unidentified aircrafts running rampant in the Garden State.

“You don’t have to take our word for it, although I myself, I saw three last night above my home. That tends to be the average night after night,” Inganamort said on CNN Saturday.

Inganamort added that western Morris County, where he represents, has been "ground zero" for the situation.

A fed-up New Jersey sheriff said he tried to track the mystery drones swarming the skies above his county — but they “easily” evaded the effort.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s office sent its own “industrial grade” drone into the air Thursday in a bid to follow one of 50 unmanned aerial vehicles a local cop saw “coming off the ocean,” Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said.

The officer alerted the state police, the FBI and the US Coast Guard. Coast Guard officials then reported 13 drones, with wingspans of eight feet, following one of their vessels.

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New Jersey’s largest utility has asked the feds to halt all air traffic over two of its nuclear power plants — after drones were spotted over the sensitive sites, The Post has learned.

Congressman Fred Van Drew (R-NJ) confirmed to The Post that PSE&G filed the request with the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday.

The rare appeal comes amid a spate of mysterious drone sightings across the Garden State as well as in parts of Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island.

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas downplayed the wave of drone sightings in the tri-state area and emphatically argued the feds can’t just “shoot” them down amid calls by some lawmakers to do just that.

Mayorkas, appearing on CNN Friday night, insisted many people are simply seeing drones that can be purchased at “convenience stores” and most instances are “cases of mistaken identity.”

The Homeland honcho insisted to CNN host Wolf Blizter that his agency has seen no evidence of anomalous activity.

“We haven’t seen anything unusual,” Mayorkas said. “We know of no threat. We believe that there are cases of mistaken identity where “drones” are actually small aircraft — that people are misidentifying them,” he said.

“There very well may be drones in the sky, of course, but those are commercially available. One can go into a convenience store and buy a small drone,” Mayorkas claimed, adding, “But we know of no threat or nefarious activity.”

Blitzer asked Mayorkas why the Department of Homeland Security had not taken the initiative to take down drones that were breaking the law.

“We can’t shoot a drone out of the sky,” the secretary said, exasperated.

“Our authorities are limited by the United States Coast Guard in the maritime environment, the United States Secret Service in its protection of our national leaders, US Customs and Border Protection with respect to the border,” Mayorkas said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams acknowledges that sightings of drones in the Big Apple have sharply increased in the last 48 hours — but insists there is no public safety threat.

Adams took to X to acknowledge the phenomenon that is causing growing concern amongst both civilians and state and local politicians.

“We are aware of concerns from New Yorkers regarding drone sightings and want to assure the public that we are actively investigating the matter in close collaboration with federal, state, and local partners in New York and New Jersey,” Hizzoner penned.

“The NYPD reports that although they have received an increase in drone sightings over the past 48 hours, drone detections have actually remained steady over the past 30 days, suggesting that a significant portion of the reporting is attributed to manned aircraft or commercial hobby drones,” the mayor said.

Adams assured residents that the NYPD sees no evidence of a public safety threat.

“Any foreign involvement” regarding the drone activity was also ruled out by the mayor, citing law enforcement partners.

President-elect Donald Trump weighed in the mystery drone sightings plaguing the Northeast on Friday evening, calling for the government to shoot them down.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!"

The eerie drones are causing concern from lawmakers, worried about a threat from adversaries like Iran on American shores.

The FAA added a drone no-fly zone over Trump's Bedminster golf club after nearby residents reported drone sightings near the resort. The flight restrictions will remain in effect until December 26.

A Tennessee Republican is urging President Biden to use military force and shoot drones down from US airspace.

"Shoot them down @POTUS," posted Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on X after the unexplained aerial phenomena were spotted over a New Jersey naval station.

Shoot them down. https://t.co/rIhyH2L489

— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) February 17, 2023

Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) has just fired off a letter requesting a classified drone briefing from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the FAA by Thursday.

The letter — addressed to outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FAA chief Michael Whitaker — was co-signed by the House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green (R-TN).

"While the Pentagon has reiterated that these unmanned aerial systems (UAS) do not belong to the U.S. military, there is increasing concern that these drones are adversarial and could be conducting surveillance or intelligence collection while exploiting U.S. airspace," Pfluger wrote in the letter.

"This activity compromises national security and public safety."

Pfluger is the Republican Study Committee (RSC) chairman-elect.