Dozens of sightings of unmanned drones across New Jersey have local residents concerned, and lawmakers baffled. These aren’t pranks or crackpot reports, either—sightings have been reported by police and the Coast Guard.
Here’s what we know so far.
The Sightings
The drones were first reported on Nov. 13 in Morris and Hunterdon counties; sightings have spread to more than a dozen areas, including Monmouth, Ocean, and Camden counties.
Witnesses say the drones are large, around the size of an SUV, and they often travel in groups.
Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters on Dec. 9 that their technology appears to be “very sophisticated.”
“The minute you get eyes on them, they go dark,” he said.
Rep. Chris Smith (D-N.J.) said on the floor of Congress that an Ocean County Sheriff relayed to him that “One of his officers saw 50 drones come out of the ocean.“
A commanding officer from the Coast Guard also told Smith that a squadron of “between 12 and 30 of these drones” followed one of their ships.
Drones are Not Foreign: Pentagon
Rep. Jeff van Drew (R-N.J.) told Fox News on Dec. 11 that he learned from “very high sources, very qualified sources, very responsible sources” that the drones were being launched from an Iranian “mothership” in the Atlantic.
The vessel pulled up along the East Coast a month ago, carrying drones purchased as part of an arms deal with China, he said.
“There is not any truth to that,” Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh replied, when asked about Van Drew’s statement.
“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there is no so-called mothership launching drones toward the United States,” she said.
Call For ‘Limited State of Emergency’
New Jersey state senator Jon Bramnick (R-21) has released a statement asking for a limited state of emergency, and urging officials to ban public drones until an explanation is released.
