For weeks, mysterious drones have been appearing in the skies over New Jersey and other states, confusing locals and leading lawmakers to demand further explanations.
With no apparent reason, the drones have been illuminating the night skies since mid-November. Here is what we know about the phenomenon, however there are still many unanswered questions.
When were the drones first spotted?
On November 18, the drones were first seen in New Jersey. Although it is unclear if they are present every night, they seem to appear in the late hours of the night.
There have been claims of drone sightings every night but Thanksgiving, according to a senior official briefed on the New Jersey sightings, and there have been “little to no” reports of drones during the day, NBC News said.
Since at least December 3, NBC News has been following claims of potential drone sightings, primarily in New Jersey.
Where are the drones being spotted now?
Initially observed in North Jersey, the drones now seem to be spreading over the entire state. Additionally, NBC News has monitored reports of potential drone sightings in Florida, Maryland, and New York.
In a statement, FBI Baltimore stated it was aware of reports of potential drone sightings in Delaware and Maryland.
Where are they coming from and
why are they there?
These continue to be the greatest mysteries as authorities are unable to publicly identify the origin of the enigmatic artifacts or provide a clear explanation for their presence.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security jointly issued a statement Thursday on the drone reports in New Jersey, stating that they “do not currently have any evidence that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
The agencies stated that they are conducting an investigation in collaboration with the New Jersey State Police and its federal colleagues.
Agency officials say they have “not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection.”
“To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully,” said the statement. “There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space.”
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., indicated that they were coming from an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast, although the Pentagon has stated that they are not military property.
The U.S. Secret Service acknowledged in a statement to NBC News that it does not currently have any unmanned aircraft systems in or around New York or New Jersey.
What kind of drones are they?
According to officials, the drones could have a diameter of up to six feet and seem to be commercial-grade rather than recreational.
How many drone sightings have there been?
No one from state or federal agencies could corroborate the precise number of drones detected above New Jersey, according to mayors who attended a briefing with New Jersey officials and a DHS representative on Wednesday, as reported by NBC News.
According to one, they are aware of “at least 400 sightings,” while another stated that “there could be thousands.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, stated in a Wednesday portion of a show on radio station WBGO that there may be “overreporting” of sightings, with several locals perhaps identifying the same device or confusing other flying objects for drones.
There were 79 reports of drone sightings in New Jersey between Thursday and Friday, according to a senior official informed on the incident.
According to several New Jersey officials, up to 180 drone sightings take place per night.
What else have officials said?
The FBI, the primary agency looking into the issue, is among the several federal officials who have stated that the drones don’t seem to be a concern, but they haven’t offered much more details.
A new website devoted to drones has been developed by the Federal Aviation Administration with the goal of providing answers to frequently asked questions concerning the flying gadgets.
However, municipal and legislative leaders have voiced their dissatisfaction with the information provided by federal officials and are calling for prompt responses.
We don’t know who owns these drones or where they originate from. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., stated on Thursday that we should be conducting some very urgent intelligence analysis and removing them from the air.
In a post on X on Friday, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan claimed to have seen “what appeared to be dozens of large drones” over his home in the state on Thursday night.
He stated that the people is “growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government.”
“I join with the growing bipartisan chorus of leaders demanding that the federal government immediately address this issue,” Hogan stated.
Murphy, the governor of New Jersey, urged Congress to act in letters to President Joe Biden, Senators Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, Representative Mike Johnson, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries.
Murphy stated that he would “encourage Congress to pass legislation empowering state and local law enforcement entities to use advanced detection and mitigation technologies to deal with UAS.”
Earlier this week, Biden received a briefing on the drones.
What happens if a drone is over your house?
The FAA’s drone website states that drones must be piloted to ensure they pose no risk to people or their property and advises calling local law enforcement if you believe someone is using a drone in an unsafe manner.
Despite some lawmakers’ suggestions to the contrary, experts advised NBC News that you should not attempt to shoot them down.
Drone shooting is prohibited and may cause severe injuries, according to experts. Drones are considered aircraft by the FAA, and even when they are flying over private land, it is illegal to damage or destroy aircraft under the Aircraft Sabotage Act.
“There is a serious safety risk when a private individual shoots at any aircraft, including unmanned ones. When an unmanned aircraft is struck by gunfire, it may crash and injure people or property on the ground, or it may strike other objects in midair, according to the FAA.
Pramod Abichandani, an associate professor and director of the Advanced Air Mobility Lab at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said it might also ignite fires.
According to Abichandani, “a drone has a lithium battery for the most part,” “The drone will fall somewhere if you shoot at it, provided you aim it accurately and hit everything. In addition to causing property damage, the lithium battery has the potential to explode and start a fire.
The risks of shooting into the night sky were also mentioned by Abichandani.
“God forbid that stray bullet lands somewhere and hits somebody,” remarked the man.
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