Unexplained Drones over New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

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For several weeks, citizens across New Jersey — as well as New York and Pennsylvania — have reported seeing clusters of drone-like objects flying low in the sky at night, and state officials have asked the FBI for answers as information remains scarce about the continued sightings.

New Jersey police announced on Nov. 19 that officers had witnessed “drone activity” the previous night over Morris County, in the state’s northwest corner, and said they would investigate the activity; they noted rumors were “spreading on social media” and said there was “no known threat to public safety.”

In the weeks since the first sightings, drones have been spotted in eight New Jersey counties and social media posts have spread, with one describing the drones as “large and loud,” while many users have posted videos showing the lit objects hovering in the sky at night.

A New Jersey resident told NJ.com he had seen the drones every night, and a New Jersey police chief described the drones as the size of a car and bigger than the standard drones available for amateur drone flyers in a press conference.

In December, reports of unidentified drone sightings appeared over Staten Island, in New York, with one resident telling NBC he observed dozens of drones with lights, while another sighting occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Sightings have been “occurring nightly for the past two weeks beginning just after sunset and lasting well into the early morning hours” and have been “reported above critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments and military installations,” Joseph Orlando, a police chief in Florham Park, New Jersey, said in a statement on Dec. 4; Nicole Malliotakis, R-NY, said on Dec. 10 the drones were spotted near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

The Federal Aviation Administration responded in early December by implementing and later extending “temporary flight restrictions” on drone use over the Picatinny Arsenal military base and Bedminster, which is home to President-elect’s Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.
On Dec. 3, the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined several New Jersey police investigations, announcing a public request for more information on the observed “cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed-wing aircraft.”

Drones have also been spotted flying over four U.S. Air Force bases in the U.K., the New York Times reported on Nov. 27, with the Air Force saying in a statement the drones have not impacted the bases and a Defense Department official saying officials were “continuing to look into it.”

The Picatinny Arsenal said in a statement to NJ Advance Media on Nov. 24 that the drones were not related to the military and that it was contributing to the investigation. More than 20 mayors across New Jersey signed a letter on Dec. 9 petitioning for “transparency” about the investigations. Gov. Murphy spoke during a bill signing Monday, saying “it's really frustrating that we don't have more answers as to where they're coming from and why they're doing what they're doing.” He added the drones are “sophisticated” and “go dark” after someone sees them, and he urged more federal involvement. Lawmakers held a hearing on Tuesday to discuss the drones. Several representatives expressed frustration at not having answers or insight into the investigation from the FBI investigation. At the hearing, Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ, advocated for a broader action and described it as “serious.” Jon Bramnick, R-NJ, urged 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 “concerning” that there are no clear answers yet.

BIG NUMBER
3,000. That’s how many sightings have been reported to an FBI tip line established for the drone sightings. Gov. Murphy said New Jersey saw 49 on Sunday alone, saying these sightings could have been the same drone being reported more than once.