Much of the buzz about mysterious drones spotted in and around the U.S. in recent weeks has centered on New Jersey.
Just Wednesday morning, Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) stunned Fox News host Harris Faulkner (and the rest of America) with his revelation that he’s been informed by “very high sources, very qualified sources, very responsible sources” that the drones are coming from an Iranian “mother ship” off the East Coast.
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WATCH: Is an Iranian Mothership Launching the Mystery New Jersey Drone Swarm?
What’s the Deal With All These ‘Mystery Drones’ Being Spotted Over New Jersey?
But drones have reportedly been spotted in other parts of the U.S. in recent weeks, including over San Antonio and San Francisco, although it’s unclear whether these were of the same nature as those reported in New Jersey.
In at least one instance in California, however, law enforcement identified an individual behind a drone flown over a military installation and made an arrest. On Wednesday, the FBI’s Los Angeles office announced that it had arrested a Northern California man and charged him with “failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace.”
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, of Brentwood, CA, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint for allegedly flying a #drone over and taking photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base. Details: https://t.co/yndtjgDzqN pic.twitter.com/7L5Qhishpd
— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) December 11, 2024
Here’s more from the announcement:
LOS ANGELES – A Northern California man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint for allegedly flying a drone over and taking photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Justice Department announced today.
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, of Brentwood, is charged with failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace.
Zhou was arrested Monday at San Francisco International Airport prior to boarding a China-bound flight and made his initial appearance Tuesday in United States District Court in San Francisco.
Zhou remains in federal custody pending prosecutors’ appeal of a federal magistrate judge’s decision to release him. No plea was taken and his arraignment is expected to be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of that base, which is against the law,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The security of our nation is of paramount importance and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation’s military personnel and facilities.”
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The flight allegedly occurred on November 30. Zhou is identified as a Chinese national.
According to an affidavit filed on December 8 with the complaint, on November 30, 2024, drone detection systems at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County detected a drone flying over the base. The drone systems detected that the drone flew for nearly one hour, traveled to an altitude of almost one mile above ground level, and originated from Ocean Park, a public area next to the base. Base security personnel went to the park, spoke to Zhou and another person accompanying him, and learned that Zhou had a drone concealed in his jacket – the same one that flew over the base.
Agents later searched Zhou’s drone pursuant to a federal search warrant and saw several photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base taken from an aerial viewpoint. A search of Zhou’s cellphone showed Zhou conducted a Google search approximately one month earlier for the phrase “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules” and messaged with another person about hacking his drone to allow it to fly higher than it could otherwise.
Zhou is a Chinese citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States, most recently returning to the United States from China in February 2024. The person accompanying Zhou at Ocean Park most recently entered the United States from China on November 26.
The maximum sentence for Zhou, if found guilty, is four years.
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Obviously, the incident raises multiple questions as to what exactly Zhou’s aim was — and as to the involvement of the “person accompanying him.”
