Community Corner
Enhanced Drone Detection Equipment To Take Flight Wednesday: NJ Mayor
Thousands of tips have come in to the FBI about the drone sightings, which have been reported in at least 13 New Jersey counties.
NEW JERSEY — Authorities will deploy a camera with enhanced search capabilities with to try and identify the mystery drones which have been buzzing around New Jersey skies, according to one Morris County mayor.
State Homeland Security officials and New Jersey State Police met with mayors, legislators, and Gov. Phil Murphy's staff on Wednesday to discuss the widely-reported sightings. After the meeting, Kinnelon Borough Mayor James Freda said authorities did not have any tangible updates, and would be using a 400-pound camera with a heat sensor and radar starting on Wednesday night.
Enhanced surveillance efforts may also involve the U.S. Coast Guard, according to Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who was also part of the briefing. Fantasia described the drones as up to 6 feet in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights switched off. They are also not detectable by infrared cameras or on radio frequencies, she said.
Find out what's happening in Across New Jerseyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Authorities do not know where these drones take off or land," Fantasia wrote.
Local and state authorities do not have the legal capability to intercept the drones, which are also referred to as unmanned aircraft systems. Any tracking, disruption, or seizure of a drone must be authorized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to an FAQ sheet that Freda shared.
Find out what's happening in Across New Jerseyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Neighbors in a growing number of towns and cities have been spotting the unidentified flying machines at night since about mid-November, reporting that drones sometimes travel in clusters and can look as large as cars. Officials in at least 13 counties have received reports of the drones from residents, or witnessed the flights themselves.
Officials at Picatinny Arsenal have also confirmed reports of drone activity near the facility, while saying the nighttime flights are not part of any operations at the U.S. Army research base in North Jersey.
There have been no answers yet from state and federal investigators on the origin and purpose of the mystery aircraft, as residents and officials push for some kind of explanation.
'We just don't know'
This push is also taking place on Capitol Hill, where Robert Wheeler, the FBI's Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group, fielded questions about the drones during a House Homeland Security Committee meeting.
"You're telling me we don't know what the hell these drones in New Jersey are?" asked Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, on Tuesday.
"That's right," Wheeler responded.
Wheeler said federal officials have received more than 3,000 tips from the public since the FBI began its investigation on Nov. 26, and a number of credible reports from law enforcement.
"Some are described as being slightly larger than a commercially available drone; fixed-wing as well as rotary," he said.
Wheeler said the FBI, along with state and local partners, have been actively investigating the unexplained flights and are still trying to determine who is responsible.
"We do not attribute that to an individual or a group yet," Wheeler said.
"It is concerning," Wheeler continued, adding that officials have no knowledge that the drones are a danger to the public.
"We just don't know. And that's the concerning part," he said.
'Get our assets into the air'
State Senator Douglas Steinhardt (R-23), who has called for a bipartisan panel in the New Jersey Legislature, said it is "irresponsible and dangerous" for officials to say the drones are not a threat.
"If these are not American assets, then we need to get our assets into the air and blow one of these things out of the sky, pick up the pieces, and figure out what we're dealing with," he said in a Fox News appearance on Wednesday.
Steinhardt represents communities in Hunterdon, Union, and Warren Counties, and the president of the Warren County Police Chiefs Association said its members were "shocked" by the lack of updates and responses from the state and federal level.
"We do not agree with their responses that there are no known threats to the public at this time," Chief Scott D. Robb said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ-2) also advocated for shooting the drones down, saying they could be "the work of foreign adversaries."
"The time to act on this information is now before the threat escalates any further," he said.
Multiple sightings over NJ military facility
There have been 11 confirmed drone sightings over Picatinny Arsenal since mid-November, a base spokesperson confirmed to Patch — despite the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration has issued drone flight restrictions over the facility until Dec. 26.
Lt. Col. Craig A. Bonham II, the Garrison Commander at Picatinny Arsenal, said officials have been investigating the flights since reports began, and also "increased outreach/coordination with several local, state, and federal partner organizations to obtain more information."
The reports began in Morris County, where the base is located and where a number of mayors sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy demanding more information.
"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,” Bonham said in a statement.
The FAA also issued a new flight restriction over president-elect Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster, through Dec. 20.
Drones followed Coast Guard lifeboat, Congressman says
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-4) is also urging the federal Defense Department to take action to identify and address the "potential threat" posed by the drone activity, after hearing reports of more than a dozen drones flying onshore and following a U.S. Coast Guard boat.
Smith said he was with Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy on Monday, when a Coast Guard officer told him the drones had followed one of their motor lifeboats.
"One of their 47-foot boats was trailed very closely by more than a dozen of these drones" off Barnegat Light, Smith told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Tuesday.
Smith said a member of the sheriff's office told him of seeing 50 drones flying onshore from a boat on Sunday night.
'Wild West of drone activity': More from NJ legislators
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) announced Tuesday that he will introduce legislation to make it easier for police around the state to monitor and track drones in the air.
He also called on the FBI and FAA to hold an "immediate public briefing" addressing the recent sightings of large drones near government facilities in New Jersey.
"Jersey cannot be the Wild West of drone activity," he said."I've written to [federal law enforcement] asking them to immediately brief the public on the recent drone activity to help allay the concerns of those around the state."
In a statement Wednesday, State Senator Jon Bramnick (R-21) reiterated that the state has "very little information" and called for the Department of Defense to launch their own probe.
"Until that occurs, we must shut down the airspace to drones," he said. "That would require a limited state of emergency and FAA cooperation.”
White House defers to FBI on investigation
President Joe Biden has also been briefed about the multitude of drone activity reports in New Jersey, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.
"We are certainly aware, the president is aware, so we are closely tracking the activity and coordinating closely with relevant agencies, including DHS and FBI to continue to investigate these incidents," she said. "I don't have anything beyond that to share. Obviously, this is something that DHS and FBI are tracking very, very closely."
Jean-Pierre referred any further questions to the FBI.
"We have to respect the two agencies...that are looking into this, working closely with folks on the ground to try and get to the bottom of it," she said.
Anyone with relevant information on the drone activity is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit it online at tips.fbi.gov.
Related articles
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
