Drone mystery deepens with Chinese man’s disturbing Google history after his arrest for ‘flying over a US base’
A Chinese man has been arrested for allegedly flying a drone over the 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 at San Francisco International Airport on Monday before boarding a flight to China and made his first appearance in US court in San Francisco on Tuesday.
He is in federal custody pending prosecutors’ appeal of a federal magistrate’s decision to release him. No plea was entered and his arraignment is expected to take place in the coming weeks in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photographs of the base’s layout, in violation of the law,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.
“The security of our nation is of the utmost 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 at a briefing Wednesday, a Department of Homeland Security representative said, “We no longer have any information about where these drones come from, where they launch and where they land.”
A California man has been arrested for allegedly flying a drone over the Vandenberg Space Force Base, which the US government uses to launch spacecraft and conduct missile tests
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, of Brentwood, reportedly flew a small drone over the base on Nov. 30 and used it to photograph the base from an aerial view (STOCK)
At this time, there is no evidence linking Zhou to the drone activity in New Jersey.
But his arrest adds to growing concerns about the ability of foreign entities to infiltrate and conduct surveillance on U.S. airspace.
The drone sightings first began in mid-November and have continued almost every night since, New Jersey residents report.
Eyewitnesses have seen unexplained car-sized drones over the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster and the Picatinny Arsenal military base in Rockaway, among others.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was first notified of the strange activity in Morris County, where the military base is located, on November 18, but sightings have also surfaced. nearby Menham, Chester and Morristown.
These are not ‘hobbyist’ drones. Officials say the devices appear to be large, commercial-grade devices.
Eyewitness accounts, social media videos and officials confirm that the drones are up to 6 feet in diameter and often go undetected.
However, the drone that Zhou flew over the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California was much smaller: small enough to fit in his jacket.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint on December 8, the base’s drone detection systems were alerted to a drone flying overhead on November 30.
The drone flew for almost an hour, traveled to an altitude of almost a mile above ground level and originated from Ocean Park – a public space next to the base.
Zhou’s arrest comes amid unexplained drone sightings in New Jersey that have alarmed residents as well as federal and local officials
The drone sightings first began in mid-November and have continued almost every night since, New Jersey residents report
The base’s security staff went to the park, spoke to Zhou and another person accompanying him, and learned that Zhou had hidden a drone 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 photos of the Vandenberg Space Force Base taken from an aerial view.
A search on Zhou’s cell phone revealed that Zhou had conducted a Google search for the phrase “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules” about a month earlier.
He also messaged another person about hacking his drone so it could fly higher than would otherwise be possible.
Zhou is a Chinese citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States, and last returned to the US from China in February 2024.
These are not ‘hobbyist’ drones. They appear to be large, commercial-grade devices up to six feet in diameter that often go unnoticed
The person who accompanied Zhou in Ocean Park last 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 conducts rocket testing.
In addition to the military space launch mission, the base also hosts space launches for civilian and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.
Government officials have suggested that the New Jersey drones come from an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast.
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew said Wednesday that Iran launched the ship “probably about a month ago” after striking a deal with China “to buy drones, a mothership and other technologies.”
“These drones must be shot down,” he told FOX News, adding that “this puts the military on full alert.”
However, the Pentagon said there is no evidence the drones are the work of an adversary and denied that an Iranian “mothership” lurks off the coast.
Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Sing said in a briefing: “At this time, we have no evidence that these activities are emanating from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary.”