Topline
A group of federal agencies on Monday night said the weeks-long citings of low-flying drone-like objects in the night skies of New Jersey and other nearby states are likely a mix of legally flown aircraft, drones and misidentified stars which they assess do not pose any risk to national security or public safety.
Lights appear in the night sky in Lebanon Township, N.J., on Dec. 5, 2024. (Trisha Bushey via AP)
Key Facts
In a joint statement, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA and Defense Department said they received tips on more than 5,000 reported drone sightings, which generated around 100 leads.
After a close examination of the data the agencies determined that the sightings “include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”
The statement added that the agencies have not “identified anything anomalous” and the reported activity does not pose any national security or public safety risk over the airspace in New Jersey and other nearby states.
The statement also urged Congress to enact counter-UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) legislation when it reconvenes saying that such a law would “extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge.”
President-elect Donald Trump, before declining to comment if he had received an intelligence briefing, told reporters Monday the drones aren’t “the enemy”—he claimed the president, the government and the military “know what is happening” but are keeping the public in “suspense.”
He also said he decided to “cancel” a trip to Bedminster, New Jersey, a region with reported drone activity that is home to one of Trump’s golf clubs.
The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base—a base just miles from Dayton, Ohio, that houses technology and research facilities—closed its air operations for nearly four hours from Friday night into Saturday because of “small unmanned aerial systems,” though the facility was not impacted, Bob Purtiman, the base’s chief of public affairs, told multiple local outlets.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC News on Dec. 15, “there’s no question that people are seeing drones,” though some of the recent sightings in New Jersey and other East Coast states might be manned aircraft or duplicate reports.
Mayorkas said officials have deployed extra resources to look into the sightings and will let the public know if there is reason for concern—“we are on it,” he said—but so far, there’s no indication of foreign involvement.
In a similar vein, an unnamed FBI official said in a White House briefing fewer than 100 of the agency’s 5,000 tips on drone sightings have been worthy of further investigation, and modeling shows many of the sightings have taken place in the flight paths of major airports, suggesting people could be mistaking planes for drones.
Still, the uptick in reported drone sightings has caused concern across several states, with social media users posting videos of lit objects hovering in the sky at night, and state officials asking the federal government for clarity.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Dec. 15 federal officials are sending a “drone detection system” to her state, but argued Congress should give the state “the power to deal directly with the drones”—an idea also backed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, while Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for Congress to give local police “more tools.”
Hochul previously said drone activity forced Stewart Airfield north of New York City to close its runways for about an hour the night of Dec. 13, adding: “This has gone too far.”
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., posted several videos on X of alleged drone sightings he recorded while out with police on Dec. 12 at night, and described them doing maneuvers that are uncharacteristic of planes—though he acknowledged later that “deeper analysis” indicated most of the sightings were “almost certainly planes.”
Kim said “others may have seen actual drone activity,” and argued federal officials “should provide information and guidance to the public.”
Connecticut state Sen. Tony Hwang released a statement Dec. 13 saying there were “sightings of possible unauthorized drones” in Fairfield, Connecticut, saying the state must be “proactive, not reactive” in getting answers, even if it means “shooting drones down.”
Michael Melham, the mayor of Belleville, New Jersey, told Fox News the state’s Office of Emergency Management urged him to “immediately call the [county] bomb squad” if there is a “downed drone” nearby and that the fire department was “instructed to wear hazmat suits” around any fallen drone, saying it’s unclear if the drones have a “payload.”
The reports started when New Jersey police announced 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, noting rumors were “spreading on social media” though there was “no known threat to public safety.”
A New Jersey police chief described the drones as the size of a car and bigger than the standard drones available for amateur flyers; sightings have been “occurring nightly for the past two weeks beginning just after sunset and lasting well into the early morning hours,” Joseph Orlando, chief of police in Florham Park, New Jersey, said in a statement on Dec. 4.
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What Has Trump Said About The Drones?
Trump suggested on Dec. 13 without evidence the federal government isn’t telling the public everything it knows about the drones, and called for them to be shot out of the sky if it officials don’t know what they are. The claim echoes those of other politicians like Malliotakis, who said she does not believe the U.S., “with its military capabilities, does not know what these objects are.” In a Truth Social post on Dec. 14, Trump also knocked former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie over the sightings, posting what appears to be an AI-generated image of Christie surrounded by drones delivering McDonald’s orders.
Can The Drones Be Shot Down?
Trump isn’t the only politician to push for drones to be shot down. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the drones should be taken “out of the skies” if needed. Mayorkas told ABC the Department of Homeland Security is “limited in our authorities” to take out the drones. Laws around airspace can be complicated, but generally, it’s also illegal for citizens to take down another person’s drone, the FAA told NBC News. The FBI’s Newark office and New Jersey State Police issued a statement on Monday night warning people that they should not attempt to bring down the drones with guns or lasers. The authorities said there has been an “increase in pilots of manned aircraft being hit in the eyes with lasers” because people on the ground think they are drones. There are also concerns about “people possibly firing weapons at what they believe to be a UAS [Unmanned Aircraft Systems] but could be a manned aircraft.” The law enforcement officials said they are working to track down any illegal drone operators but warned there could be “dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly as UAS.”
What Drone Legislation Are Politicians Pushing For?
States currently lack the ability to respond to drone threats, leading some state politicians to call for federal legislation giving them greater authority. Hochul is urging Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, which would renew the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to track and investigate drones—a power set to expire on Dec. 20—and require it to give state law enforcement the ability to respond to drone threats, which would include the ability to “disrupt control of, disable, damage, or destroy” them. The act was introduce in the House in June by Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn. Similarly, Murphy and Schumer urged Congress to pass the Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act, a bill introduced in the Senate last year that would also give state and local law enforcement power to track, disable and destroy drones under DHS’s supervision. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said Saturday he is drafting legislation that would give state and local governments authority to bring down drones, asking: “Why can’t we bag at least one of these drones and get to the bottom of it?”
What Exactly Do We Know About The Drones?
Almost nothing, New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia said on X Dec. 11. Fantasia’s post was a lengthy summary of a legislative meeting with the Department of Homeland Security about the mysterious sightings. She described the government’s investigation strategy, which includes a coordinated effort led by the FBI with state police, the Office of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard. She described the dozens of nightly sightings as “coordinated” operations of drones “up to 6 [feet]
in diameter” flying for six to seven hours—distances of 15 miles—unrelated to “hobbyists” or the Department of Homeland Security, which “appear to avoid detection by traditional methods (e.g., helicopters, radio frequencies).” They also aren’t related to military operations, the Picatinny Arsenal said in a statement to NJ Advance Media on Nov. 24.
Where Have The Drones Been Spotted?
Many of the sightings have taken place in New Jersey, but there are also reports from New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts and elsewhere. Drones have reportedly been spotted in at least 12 New Jersey counties, including in the airspace over Naval Weapons Station Earle and above “critical infrastructure” in Florham Park. There have also been reports of unidentified drones around Staten Island in New York City, including near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City, according to Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. Sightings also occurred around Philadelphia, Virginia Beach and Fairfield, Connecticut, and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan posted a video on X of alleged “large drones” in Davidsonville, in-between Annapolis and Washington, D.C. Further north, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said she is aware of a “growing number of drone sightings” in her state.
Are The Drones Considered A National Security Threat?
Officials say there’s no indication of security threats. The FBI and DHS released a statement on Dec. 12 saying investigators have “no evidence at this time” of “malicious activity” in New Jersey or a “national security or public safety threat.” The statement adds they have not identified “a foreign nexus” for the drones and will continue the investigation. It also said many of the drone sightings have been “cases of mistaken identity,” confusing drones for lawful, identified aircraft. John Kirby, the White House’s national security communications advisor, reiterated the FBI’s statement at a briefing Dec. 12 and said officials “have not been able to…corroborate any of the reported visual sightings.”
Did The Drones Come From An Iranian Ship?
No, according to the Pentagon. Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ, said in an interview with Fox News on Dec. 11, “Iran launched a mothership, probably about a month ago that contains these drones.” He explained the “mothership” was near the country’s Eastern coastline. In response, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, rebuffed the claim. “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States,” Singh told reporters at a briefing on Dec. 11.
What Have Officials Said About The Investigation?
Officials in northeastern states have pleaded with the federal government for details on the drone sightings and argued Congress should give state and local police more authority to react to drones. More than 20 mayors across New Jersey signed a letter on Dec. 9 petitioning for “transparency,” while state Rep. Jon Bramnick called for a “limited state of emergency.” All four senators representing New York and New Jersey have asked for more federal resources and more information, with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., arguing a lack of “transparency” has allowed “misinformation” to spread. Murphy said Dec. 10, “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. Federal lawmakers held a hearing on Dec. 10 to discuss the drones, with several representatives expressing frustration, including Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who advocated for broader action and described it as “serious.” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., wrote the “lack of transparency” from the White House and Pentagon regarding the drones “is more than shameful,” adding: “They don’t trust us, we don’t trust them.”
Has Anyone Been Arrested For Operating Drones?
Police in Boston say they arrested two people on Dec. 14 who allegedly flew a drone “dangerously close” to Logan International Airport from an island in Boston Harbor, while a third is believed to have fled by boat. There’s no indication the arrest is related to any of the sightings throughout the Northeast, but it underscores recent worries.
Tangent
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.”
Key Background
Recreational and commercial drones have surged in popularity, with nearly a million registered by the FAA, leading to growing concerns about unsafe or malicious use. Drones are allowed in New Jersey for personal use and commercial projects, but the state requires pilots to get a certification and follow federal guidelines around the acceptable use of drones. According to FAA rules, recreational drones must stay within view of the flyer, and are typically only allowed to operate at or below 400 feet in uncontrolled airspace, or with prior permission in controlled areas like around airports. Commercially available drones also typically have a short battery life and often can only last 10 minutes to about one hour in the air. If an unknown flyer isn’t following these guidelines, it can be complicated to take the drone down. One example of this came in 2023, when unidentified aircraft were spotted and investigated by the Air Force in 2023 at the Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to federal laws, the military can only take down drones by military bases if the drones exhibit a clear threat, and spying isn’t one, the Journal notes. The Journal also reported technological solutions for taking down the Virginia drones, like signal jamming or destructive technology, would have been risky for citizens and planes. After these drone appearances, the Pentagon released a classified new approach to dealing with these issues, Fox News reported.
