Everything we know about unidentified drones flying over New Jersey, New York and other states

On By Littum

Upper line

For weeks, citizens across New Jersey — as well as New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut — have reported seeing clusters of drone-like objects flying low in the sky at night, but information remains scarce, even as state officials now say they have seen the drones firsthand, received mixed information from federal agencies and pressed the FBI for answers.

Key facts

Senator Tony Hwang of Connecticut issued a statement Friday said there were “sightings of possible unauthorized drones” in Fairfield, Connecticut, and said the state needs to be “proactive, not reactive” in getting answers, even if that means “shooting down drones.”

Michael Melham, Mayor of Belleville, New Jersey, told Fox News The state Office of Emergency Management urged him to “immediately call the (county) bomb squad” if there is a “downed drone” nearby and that firefighters be “directed to wear hazmat suits” around any downed drone, saying , that it is unclear whether the drones have a “payload”.

Late. Andy Kim, DN.J., accompanied the local police on Thursday evening, post more videos on X of the drone clusters he recorded, describing them as making maneuvers uncharacteristic of aircraft.

Kim wrote that the inability to identify the objects after weeks of this activity “makes me much more concerned about our capabilities … when it comes to drone detection and countermeasures.”

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy repeated his call for more federal support Thursday as reports of these drone sightings continued without explanation.

The reports started when police in New Jersey announced November that officers had seen “drone activity” the previous night over Morris County, in the state’s northwest corner, and said they would investigate the activity, noting that rumors were “spreading on social media” although there was “no known threat to public safety.”

In the weeks since the first sightings, social media posts have spreadwith one describing the drones as “big and tall,” and many users have posted videos showing illuminated objects floating in the sky at night.

A police chief in New Jersey in a press conference described the drones as the size of a car and bigger than the standard drones available to amateur drone pilots; sightings have “occurred at night for the past two weeks, beginning just after sunset and continuing well into the early morning hours” Joseph Orlando, the police chief of Florham Park, New Jersey, said in a statement on 4 Dec.

The Federal Aviation Administration responded in early December by implementing and later extension of “temporary flight restrictions” about drone use over the Picatinny Arsenal military base and Bedminster, home of President-elect Donald Trump’s golf club.

On December 3, the FBI joined several police investigations in New Jersey, announces a public request for more information about the observed “cluster of what appears to be drones and a possible fixed-wing aircraft.”

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News Peg

Trump suggested on Friday, without evidence, that the federal government is not telling the public everything it knows about the drones, and called for them to be shot out of the sky if that is not true. The claim, made it The Truth Socialechoing those of other politicians such as Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who said the drones should be taken “out of the sky,” and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, RN.Y., who said she does not believe the United States, “with its military capabilities, does not know what these objects are.”

What exactly do we know about the drones?

Almost nothing, New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia said on X Wednesday. Fantasia’s post was a lengthy summary of a legislative meeting with the Department of Homeland Security about the mysterious sightings. She described the government’s investigative strategy, which includes a coordinated effort led by the FBI with state police, the Office of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard. She described dozens of nighttime sightings as “coordinated” operations by drones “up to 6 (feet)

Where have the drones been seen?

Drones have been spotted in at least 12 New Jersey countiesNJ.com reported. There has also been that reports of unidentified drone sightings over Staten Island in New York, while several sightings took place in Philadelphia and Fairfield, Connecticut. Drones have been seen near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, Malliotakis said. Friday former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan posted a video on X of alleged “large drones” in Davidsonville, Maryland. Elena Russo, a spokeswoman for the Maryland State Police, declined to provide additional information. Officials at Naval Weapons Station Earle told ABC News on Friday, there have been “several” reports of the unidentified drones over the New Jersey naval base, but they did not say when or exactly how many. Florham Park boss Orlando said in the Dec. 4 statement, the drones have been “reported over critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electrical transmission lines, railroad stations, police departments, and military installations.”

Are drones considered a national security threat?

The FBI and DHS released one declaration on Thursday, the investigation said there is “no evidence at this time” of “malicious activity” in New Jersey or a “national security or public safety threat.” The statement added that they have not identified “a foreign connection” to the drones and will continue to investigate. It also said many of the drone sightings have been “cases of mistaken identity,” mistaking drones for legitimate, identified aircraft. John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Adviser, repeated The FBI’s statement at a briefing Thursday said officials “have not been able to … confirm any of the reported visual sightings.”

Are the drones coming from an Iranian ship?

No, according to the Pentagon. On Wednesday, Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ, said in an interview with Fox News, “Iran launched a mothership probably about a month ago that contains these drones.” He explained that the “mothership” was near the country’s eastern coastline. In response, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, denied the claim. “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there is no so-called mother ship sending drones at the United States,” Singh told reporters at Wednesday’s briefing.

What have officials said about the investigation?

More than 20 mayors throughout New Jersey signed a letter on Dec. 9 requesting “transparency” about the investigations. Governor Murphy spoke during a bill signed into law Mondayand said “it’s really frustrating that we don’t have more answers about where they come from and why they do what they do.” He added that the drones are “sophisticated” and “go dark” after someone sees them, and he called for more federal involvement. Lawmakers held a hearing Tuesday to discuss the drones. More representatives expressed frustration at not having answers or insight into the investigation from the FBI investigation. At the hearing, the representative spoke. Chris Smith, R-NJ, for a broader act and described it is “serious”. Jon Bramnick, R-NJ, called for a “limited state of emergency” to be implemented. Robert Wheeler, the FBI assistant director leading the investigation, said at the hearing, the agency is “actively investigating” the drones, and that it is “worrisome” that there are no clear answers yet. Late. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters on Thursday, those unidentified drones were to be “shot down if necessary.” Late. Chuck SchumerD-NY, Sen. Cory BookerD-NJ and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, have also all issued statements in recent days calling for more information about the reports. On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul recognized “New Yorkers have seen drones in the air this week,” and the state is investigating with “federal partners”

Key

Drones have also been seen flying over four US air force bases in the UK, The New York Times reported on November 27with the Air Force saying in a statement that the drones have not affected the bases, and a Defense Department official saying officials were “continuing to investigate.”

big number

3,000. So many observations have been reported to an FBI tip line established for the drone sightings. Governor Murphy said New Jersey saw 49 on Sunday alone, and said those sightings could have been the same drone that was reported more than once.

Key background

Drones are allowed in New Jersey for personal use and commercial projects. The state requires drone pilots to obtain a certification and follow federal guidelines regarding the acceptable use of drones. Drones must too stay within sight of the flyer according to FAA regulations. Commercially available drones typically have a short battery life and can often only last 10 minutes to about an hour in the air. If an unknown flyer does not follow these rules, taking down the drone can be complicated. An example of this came in 2023 when unidentified aircraft were spotted and investigated by the US Air Force in 2023 at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, The Wall Street Journal writes. Airspace laws can be complicated. In general, it is illegal for citizens to take down someone else’s drone, NJ.com reportedciting an expert from the Federal Aviation Administration. Under federal law, the military can only take down drones from military bases if the drones pose a clear threat, and espionage is not one, the Journal reported. The Journal also reported that technological solutions to take down the Virginia drones, such as signal jamming or destructive technology, would have been risky for citizens and aircraft. Following these drone sightings, the Pentagon released a classified new approach to dealing with these issues, That was reported by Fox News.