For more than two weeks now, mysterious drones have been spotted across New Jersey, with reports coming in from Morris, Somerset, Warren, and Sussex counties. Some eyewitnesses say the drones have been as big as cars. They have been reported flying solo and in clusters. And like clockwork, they come out around dusk and are gone by dawn. Last month, the sightings prompted the FAA to issue two temporary flight restrictions prohibiting drone use over Picatinny Arsenal Military Base and Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.
An FBI spokesperson told NJ.com on Wednesday that they “don’t have many answers” and the agency doesn’t “want to guess or hypothesize about what’s going on.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, meanwhile, told NJ residents there is “no known threat to the public at this time.”
One of the most detailed statements released thus far was by Florham Park's Chief of Police, Joseph Orlando, who told the public that state and federal authorities have been trying to determine where the drones are launching from and landing, and who is responsible, but he described their presence as “nefarious.”
“Several drone sightings have been reported above critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments and military installations,” Orlando said. “Members of the local law enforcement community have been pressuring our partners for answers regarding this activity as their presence around our critical infrastructure is concerning. While we currently have no evidence or information to indicate these drones pose an imminent threat at this time, their presence appears nefarious in nature.”
"It looked like a huge drone. It definitely wasn't a plane because it was too low, and it was also going back and forth and then forwards and backwards," Chatham resident Melissa Koscielniak said.
Koscielniak took cellphone video on Wednesday night from her home in Morris County. She said a large object with flashing red and green lights was hovering just above her neighbors' rooftops.
"I think the creepy part is not that it's just a drone, but that they're so large," Koscielniak said.
"They look like a small car to me. Their wing spans are probably six feet across," Florham Park Mayor Mark Taylor said. [...]
New Springfield resident Walter Ziegler said he first noticed the cluster of "six or seven" on Monday.
As a former Air Force sergeant, he said he knew they weren't planes or helicopters.
"These things had a light in the center and a red light on each end and wasn't moving, not a fixed-wing aircraft," Ziegler said.
Ziegler said the objects he saw were in the flight path of Newark Liberty International Airport.
"When the aircraft approaches, the lights went out on the 'drone.' When aircraft passed, the lights came back on," Ziegler said. "That's dangerous." (CBS News)
FBI is investigating large Drones over military bases and in New Jersey. This are large drones, I’m a drone pilot and I have never seen anything like this or this big. Why isn’t Biden sending up fighter jets to intercept these things? pic.twitter.com/9rKizJHzwX
— Joey franko (@franko_ufo) December 5, 2024
The FBI and local New Jersey authorities are investigating drone sightings at night in different counties across the state. The Morris County Prosecutor's Office said there's no known threat to public safety. https://t.co/UmTcVm872C pic.twitter.com/xB7J6XgdmD
— USA TODAY Video (@usatodayvideo) December 4, 2024
Law enforcement agencies have been asking the public for help by reporting their sightings to the FBI, specifically if an individual has photos or videos.