Mysterious drone sightings continue to occur in New Jersey. Here’s what we know (and what we don’t know)

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In recent weeks, large numbers of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey and the East Coast, sparking speculation and concern about who sent them and why.

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden in search of a response. New Jersey Senator Andy Kim spent Thursday evening drone hunting in rural northern New Jersey and posted in regards to the event on X.

Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that drones don’t appear to pose a threat to public safety, yet many state and city lawmakers have called for stricter regulations on who can fly unmanned aircraft.

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The FBI is one in all several agencies investigating and has asked residents to share videos, photos and other information they might have in regards to the drones.

What’s the cope with drones in New Jersey?

Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing drones in New Jersey since November.

The drones were initially spotted flying along the scenic Raritan River, a waterway that feeds Round Valley Reservoir, the state’s largest aquifer, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of New York.

But sightings were soon reported across the state, including near Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and production facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.

The plane was also recently spotted in coastal areas.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith said a Coast Guard commander told him that greater than a dozen drones followed a Coast Guard lifeboat near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County over the weekend.

Drones spotted over New York

Drone sightings have already been reported in New York City, where a permit is required, and Mayor Eric Adams says town is investigating and cooperating with New Jersey and federal officials.

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The runways at Stewart International Airport, positioned about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of New York City, were closed for about an hour Friday evening due to drone activity in the airspace, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

“This has gone too far,” she said in a press release.

The governor called on Congress to pass laws to strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and provides greater authority to state and native law enforcement agencies to investigate the activity.

“Expanding these powers to New York State and our peers is essential,” she said. “Until these powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and surrounding areas to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people.”

Are these drones dangerous?

The White House said a review of reported sightings shows a lot of them are in fact manned aircraft flying legally, confirming the view of officials and drone experts.

The federal Department of Homeland Security and the FBI also said in a joint statement that they’d no evidence that the sightings posed a “threat to national security or public safety or had a foreign connection.”

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Assemblymember Dawn Fantasia, briefed by the Department of Homeland Security, said the reported drones are up to 6 feet in diameter and sometimes travel with their lights off. That’s much higher than the drones that hobbyists typically fly, and he or she said they appear to avoid detection by traditional methods reminiscent of helicopter and radio.

Who sent the drones?

Authorities say they don’t know who’s behind the drones.

The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and state police are investigating the sightings. Authorities say they don’t know whether it’s one drone that has been seen multiple times or whether multiple planes were flying in a coordinated effort.

Speculation ran rampant online, with some expressing fears that the drone or drones might be a part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents. Officials emphasize that ongoing state and federal investigations have found no evidence to support these concerns.

Two Republican congressmen from the Jersey Shore area, Smith and U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, called on the military to shoot down the drones, citing security concerns.

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The Pentagon insists that drones don’t pose a foreign threat.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday that the military’s initial assessment after consultations with the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council that the drones aren’t of foreign origin stays unchanged.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that the planes aren’t US military drones.

What did officials say in regards to the mysterious drone sightings?

President-elect Donald Trump wrote that he believes the federal government knows greater than it claims. “Inform the public and let them know now. Otherwise shoot them!!!” – he posted on his social networking site.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Thursday that the drowners ought to be “shot down if necessary,” regardless that it’s unclear who owns the unmanned aircraft.

“We should do a very urgent intelligence review and take them out of the sky, especially if they are flying over airports or military bases,” Blumenthal said.

However, experts warn against shooting at anything in the sky.

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Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir, where quite a few sightings have been reported, and said she doesn’t consider the claim that drones don’t pose a threat to public safety.

“How can you say it doesn’t pose a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people feel uncomfortable.”

Are drones allowed in New Jersey?

Flying drones for recreational and industrial purposes is legal in New Jersey, but is subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions.

In New York, a permit is required for an unmanned aircraft to take off or land.

Operators should be FAA certified.

Have drones been spotted anywhere else?

Sightings have also been reported in Virginia and elsewhere.

Two people said they spotted a plane unlike every other they’d seen near Virginia Beach Thursday evening.

The flying object was over the ocean they usually watched it slowly move over a Virginia Army National Guard facility, John Knight told The Virginian-Pilot.

“It was definitely something different,” said Knight, who recorded videos of what he believed was a drone the dimensions of a small truck.

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“It flew like a helicopter, but it didn’t make any sound,” he added.

The Virginia National Guard was not flying any aircraft near the power Thursday evening, according to AA spokesman “Cotton” Puryear. Its management is aware of the incident and an investigation is ongoing, Puryear said.

Another military installation in the realm is Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex. NAS Oceana, the predominant jet base on the East Coast in Virginia Beach, is aware of recent reports of drone sightings in the realm and is working with federal and state agencies to ensure the protection of its personnel and operations, said Katie Hewett, public affairs specialist at e -email on Friday.

Knight sent the videos Thursday evening to the FBI’s tip line.

Drones were also spotted in the UK last month. The U.S. Air Force said several small unmanned aerial vehicles were detected near 4 military bases in England utilized by U.S. forces.

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Miller reported from Oklahoma City. Bruce Schreiner contributed from Shelbyville, Kentucky.

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