NJ Drone Mystery Update: Feds, White House Downplay Sightings

NEW JERSEY — Federal authorities said a majority of reported drone sightings in New Jersey appear to be other aircraft, casting doubts on thousands of tips from worried residents and frustrated local officials.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said "many" of the reported sightings "are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully." The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security said something very similar in a separate statement Thursday.

Kirby, speaking at a press conference Thursday afternoon, said that federal authorities were not able to corroborate "any" of the visual drone sightings by using more sophisticated electronic detection technology.

"We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus," Kirby said. "The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they're working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources, using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin."

The U.S. Coast Guard has also confirmed there is "no evidence of any foreign-based involvement from coastal vessels," Kirby said — even as U.S. Rep Jeff Van Drew doubled down on his assertions that they were coming from offshore.

"While there is no known malicious activity occurring, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight a gap in authority," Kirby said.

Kirby, the FBI, and the DHS all said Thursday that there have been no confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space — despite reports from Picatinny Arsenal base officials that there have been 11 confirmed sightings since mid-November.

Patch has reached out to Picatinny Arsenal for comment.

The U.S. Northern Command, which oversees the Department of Defense's homeland efforts, told Patch it is monitoring reports of drone activity near Picatinny and near Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown and has not been requested "to assist with these events."

The Federal Aviation Administration still has flight restrictions posted for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster (until Dec. 20) and Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County (until Dec. 26).

In their statement, the FBI and DHS also said they have been helping local law enforcement in New Jersey "with numerous detection methods," but have not corroborated the sightings.

“Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities," the agencies' joint statement said. "To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully."

The FBI began its own probe into the drone sightings on Nov. 26, roughly 10 days after the first sightings were reported.

Following federal officials' assertions, State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-21) again called on the Department of Defense to probe the issue. Bramnick said several citizens sent him "videos of large drone sightings" on Thursday night.

"The White House is saying ‘we are not seeing what we are seeing,'" Bramnick said in a social media post. "Let’s be clear, this is not similar to ‘Big Foot’ sightings, these are clear images. We need the Defense Department to investigate."

Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Biden on Thursday, asking him to commit more resources to investigate the origins of the drones, and said Garden State residents "deserve more concrete information."

Murphy also asked Biden to consider allowing state and local authorities to use advanced detection and mitigation technology for unmanned aircraft systems, especially ahead of the 2026 World Cup at MetLife Stadium.

"The proliferation of this technology has introduced additional risks to public safety, privacy, and homeland security, while state and local law enforcement entities remain hamstrung by existing laws and policies to successfully counteract them, leaving action around UAS squarely on the shoulders of the federal government," he wrote.

As local authorities continue to receive reports of the aircraft, the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety has warned firefighters not to approach any grounded drones, according to a report by NJ101.5.

An intelligence bulletin from the Fire Threat Task Force instructs fire crews to notify local law enforcement and the FBI if they encounter a drone that has landed or crashed, and request the nearest bomb squad.

"This is a law enforcement incident, extinguish any fire and secure the perimeter," the bulletin reads.

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