A Chinese man has been arrested for allegedly flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base, as the FBI investigates mysterious drones in New Jersey.
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, a Chinese National now living in Brentwood, California, was 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.
He is 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 US District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
'This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base's layout, 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.'
Zhou's arrest comes amid unexplained drone sightings in New Jersey that have alarmed residents as well as federal and local officials.
The FBI is investigating, but during a Wednesday briefing, a representative from the Department of Homeland Security said: 'We have no more information as to where these drones are coming from, where they're launching from, where they're landing.'
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that Zhou is connected to the drone activity in New Jersey.
But his arrest adds to growing concerns over the ability of foreign entities to infiltrate US airspace and conduct surveillance.
The drone sightings first began in mid-November and have continued almost every night since, New Jersey residents have reported.
Eyewitnesses have seen unexplained 'car-sized' drones over the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster and the Picatinny Arsenal Military Base in Rockaway, among other locations
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was first alerted to the strange activity in Morris County, where the military base is located, on November 18, but sightings also surfaced in nearby Menham, Chester and Morristown.
These are not 'hobbyist' drones. They appear to be large, commercial-grade devices, according to officials.
Eyewitness reports, social media videos and officials confirm the drones are up to six feet in diameter and often avoid detection.
The drone Zhou flew over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, however, was much smaller - small enough to fit inside his jacket.
According to an affidavit filed on December 8 with the complaint, the base's drone detection systems were alerted to a drone flying overhead on November 30.
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.'
He also 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 US from China in February 2024.
The person accompanying Zhou at Ocean Park most recently entered the United States from China on November 26.
The Vandenberg Space Force Base is used to launch spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing.
In addition to its military space launch mission, the base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.
Government officials have suggested that the New Jersey drones are coming from an Iranian 'mothership' off the East Coast.
Republican Rep Jeff Van Drew said Wednesday that Iran launched the vessel 'probably about a month ago' after making a deal with China 'to purchase drones, a mothership and other technologies.'
'These drones should be shot down,' he told FOX News, adding that 'the military is on full alert with this.'
However, the Pentagon stated there is no evidence the drones are the work of an adversary and denied there's an Iranian 'mothership' lurking off the coast.
Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Sing said in a briefing: 'At this time we have no evidence that these activities are coming from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary.'
