What We Know About the Mysterious New Jersey Drone Sightings
For weeks, New Jersey residents have spotted mysterious drones in the night sky throughout the state. Some New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians have seen them, too. These sightings have confounded local and federal authorities, who have been unable to determine the drones’ origins or their purpose. Here’s what we know about the ongoing mystery.
How long has this been going on?
Accounts and videos of drones began to emerge on social media in mid-November. The bulk of the initial sightings came from Morris County in North Jersey. One video, shared on X on November 19, was reportedly taken in Madison, New Jersey:
Unidentified drones have flooded the skies in NJ. This is a video I took of one pic.twitter.com/agMrZlN1jg
— Jerzy (@JerzyBets) November 19, 2024
On November 19, Morris County officials confirmed that drone activity had been observed by law enforcement and said in a statement that local authorities “will continue to coordinate, monitor, and investigate the drone activity” alongside their state and federal partners.
Since mid-November, aircrafts have been spotted across northern and central New Jersey in Bergen, Sussex, and Somerset Counties, according to the Bergen Record. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration has further restricted the airspace over Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, banning drone flights over the Somerset County property that is a frequent stop of President-elect Donald Trump.
The FBI is investigating a "cluster of what look to be drones" and a "possible fixed-wing aircraft" spotted flying in New Jersey skies. Here's video of the mysterious flying objects from Mendham Township: https://t.co/rTe5Z6bFfA pic.twitter.com/Zmd6vW2dyN
— FOX 5 NY (@fox5ny) December 3, 2024
Where else have the drones appeared?
The Staten Island Advance reports that they have been spotted in Staten Island, hovering over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge that connects the borough to Brooklyn. An X user who claimed to be in Bay Ridge shared videos of the reported drones on Sunday, writing, “Drones are officially in Brooklyn!”
WPVI, a local Philadelphia ABC affiliate, has received reports of drones in the city’s Mayfair area, as well as in neighboring Delaware County.
Are there any theories on the drones’ origins?
The reports initially sparked speculation that the drones could’ve originated nearby from the Picatinny Arsenal, a local military research base. But the base denied any connection on Tuesday while acknowledging that there have been 11 confirmed sightings over the facility since November 13. “While the source and cause of these aircraft operating in our area remain unknown, we can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal–related activities,” base commander Lieutenant Colonel Craig Bonham II said, per the Morristown Daily Record.
Despite the denial, some experts theorize that the military could be involved. Clint Emerson, a former Navy SEAL and security-firm owner, told the New York Post that the drones could potentially be a military project that’s kept so secret only a scant few are aware it exists. “That’s why the government’s like, ‘We don’t know.’ They’re being truthful,” he told the outlet.
Republican congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey floated a theory on Wednesday on Fox News, citing unnamed “very high sources” that the drones hail from a foreign adversary. “Iran launched a mothership probably about a month ago that contains these drones. That mothership, I’m going to tell you the deal, it’s off the East Coast of the United States of America. They’ve launched drones,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon rebutted that theory, saying that there’s “no truth” to Van Drew’s claims but also confirmed that the drones are not from the U.S. military. “At this time, we have no evidence that these activities are coming from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary,” said deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh. “We’re gonna continue to monitor what is happening, but at no point were our installations threatened when this activity was occurring.”
Has something like this happened before?
Though it’s unclear if there’s any relation, the reports are reminiscent of recent sightings around Virginia. In October, The Wall Street Journal reported that several drones were spotted around the Langley Air Force Base over a span of 17 days.
In December 2018, Gatwick Airport in London was forced to cancel flights for several days after multiple reported drone sightings near the airport runway. Despite some initial arrests that were later cleared, no one was ever officially implicated in the incident, and there are even some who dispute that a drone was actually involved. According to the Independent, the brief closure cost 50 million pounds related to passenger assistance and lost revenue.
What have officials said?
Last week, the FBI’s Newark field office, the New Jersey State Police, and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness said in a statement that they were officially seeking any information on the drone sightings, and that the agency has reports from both law enforcement and members of the public “dating back several weeks.” They ask that anyone with relevant information call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit their tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
But the federal agency was unable to shed any additional light on the phenomenon during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Tuesday. Robert W. Wheeler Jr., assistant director of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, was asked about the ongoing situation in New Jersey and whether there was any risk to the public. “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know, and that’s the concerning part,” he said, per PIX11.
On Monday, Governor Phil Murphy told reporters that the drones don’t appear to pose a threat but noted that 49 reports had come in just the previous day. “This is something we’re taking deadly seriously. I don’t blame people for being frustrated,” he said, per the Associated Press.
On Tuesday, Senator Cory Booker sent a letter to Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, FBI director Christopher Wray, and Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, stressing a need to keep the public informed about their investigations into the aircrafts. “I recognize the need to maintain operational security of ongoing investigations and that this situation requires complex interagency coordination,” he wrote. “However, there is a growing sense of uncertainty and urgency across the state — from constituents and local officials alike — despite assurances that the drones pose no known threats to public safety.”
U.S. Northern Command addressed the situation in a statement Wednesday, writing that they have conducted an “deliberate analysis” of the recent drone activity and that they “have not been requested to assist with these events.”