Police are investigating several drones flying over NJ towns at night

Federal and local authorities are investigating several drones seen flying over Morris County Monday night.

“There is no known threat to public safety,” according to a joint statement released by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Authorities did not say whether they know who was operating the drones or why they were overhead.

“The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Morris County Office of Emergency Management, Morris County Municipal Police Departments, along with our federal and state law enforcement partners, are aware of this activity and will continue to coordinate, monitor and investigate the drone activity,” it read that in the statement.

“This joint statement is issued in response to rumors of drone activity circulating on social media. We encourage the public to be aware that what they read online may not be accurate.”

Picatinny Arsenal, a military base in Wharton, said the drones are not theirs and are helping with the investigation.

“Picatinny Arsenal authorities are aware of the numerous reports of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) activity over Morris County and its surrounding areas (Monday) evening,” the military base said in a statement sent to NJ Advance Media. “We are working with several of our local, state and federal partner organizations to obtain more information about the reported activity. We remind everyone that it is illegal to fly UAVs over the Picatinny Arsenal and any other federal military installation without prior authorization.”

State police and the Federal Aviation Administration had not responded to NJ Advance Media’s morning request for information as of Tuesday afternoon.