12 July 2011 Last updated at 21:44 ET 
He warned of "serious consequences" should that be found to be the case.
Then 168-year-old News of the World shut down on Sunday after numerous accusations of phone hacking.
Other papers owned by Rupert Murdoch have faced similar allegations.
Mr Rockefeller, a Democrat, was the first major voice in the US Congress to call for an investigation into the scandal, which has gripped Britain.
The BBC's Steve Kingstone in Washington says these are the first signs that the hacking story is extending across the Atlantic.
'Breach of ethics' In a written statement, Mr Rockefeller said he was concerned that hacking by News Corporation journalists may have extended to American targets, including victims of the 11 September attacks.
He did not present any evidence to support that claim, but called on the authorities to look into any possible wrong-doing.
"I encourage the appropriate agencies to investigate to ensure that Americans have not had their privacy violated," he said.
"The reported hacking by News Corporation newspapers against a range of individuals - including children - is offensive and a serious breach of journalistic ethics. This raises serious questions about whether the company has broken US law," he said.
Mr Murdoch's American assets include Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins publishers.
In the UK, the 80-year-old has been under mounting pressure to drop his bid for TV giant BSkyB.
He has now been asked to appear in front of British MPs to answer questions on the phone-hacking, while police accused his newspapers of blocking their original investigations in 2006.
Phone-hacking: US senator requests probe
The News of the World, Britain's oldest paper, published its last edition on Sunday
A key US senator has called for an investigation into whether reported hacking by News Corporation targeted any US citizens.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller said the authorities should consider whether journalists working for the media giant had broken US law.He warned of "serious consequences" should that be found to be the case.
Then 168-year-old News of the World shut down on Sunday after numerous accusations of phone hacking.
Other papers owned by Rupert Murdoch have faced similar allegations.
Mr Rockefeller, a Democrat, was the first major voice in the US Congress to call for an investigation into the scandal, which has gripped Britain.
The BBC's Steve Kingstone in Washington says these are the first signs that the hacking story is extending across the Atlantic.
'Breach of ethics' In a written statement, Mr Rockefeller said he was concerned that hacking by News Corporation journalists may have extended to American targets, including victims of the 11 September attacks.
He did not present any evidence to support that claim, but called on the authorities to look into any possible wrong-doing.
"I encourage the appropriate agencies to investigate to ensure that Americans have not had their privacy violated," he said.
"The reported hacking by News Corporation newspapers against a range of individuals - including children - is offensive and a serious breach of journalistic ethics. This raises serious questions about whether the company has broken US law," he said.
Mr Murdoch's American assets include Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins publishers.
In the UK, the 80-year-old has been under mounting pressure to drop his bid for TV giant BSkyB.
He has now been asked to appear in front of British MPs to answer questions on the phone-hacking, while police accused his newspapers of blocking their original investigations in 2006.
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