Drone Sightings Spread To Ocean County, But Authorities Have Received Few Calls

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Reports of unexplained drones flying over North Jersey have filtered south to Ocean County, but local law enforcement agencies say they have received mixed reports from residents.

Social media sites on Thursday night were filled with dozens of comments about drones flying over Ocean County, with commenters saying they were seen in Brick, Toms River, Point Pleasant and Manchester.

Those comments included a claim that a fighter jet was seen following or chasing a drone over Brick Township. That claim was false, according to the U.S. Air Force.

Officials at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst — which includes the 87th Air Mobility Command with cargo planes and KC-46 refueling planes — referred a reporter to NORAD — the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

"There were no NORAD fighter aircraft in that area," said Air Force Lt. Col. Andrew J. Scott, citing authorities on the operations floor at the 601st Air Operations Center at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.

Brick Township police have received just a couple of calls that were found to be about a single drone, and that drone landed soon after, Chief David Forrester said. The department received no reports about a fighter jet, he said.

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst did not have any reports of a fighter jet being involved in any kind of pursuit in Ocean County but an official said they were checking further.

The base does not host fighter planes, a spokesman said. It is home to cargo planes and the KC-46 refueling tanker planes.

Point Pleasant Beach police said three drones were seen throughout the borough on Thursday, mostly along the coast and near the NJ Transit railroad tracks at the south end of the borough. Police reported the activity to state and federal agencies.

"We will continue to monitor and notify the appropriate agencies of any and all drone activity," Point Pleasant Beach police said.

Toms River police have received four calls in recent days about alleged suspicious drone activity, Chief Peter Sundack said, adding they have notified federal authorities.

"There is no evidence of criminal activity and there were no arrests or charges related to these reports," Sundack said. "There are no known threats to public safety."

Point Pleasant police have not received any calls about drone activity, Capt. Christopher Leonhardt said.

Unexplained drones have been spotted flying over different parts of New Jersey since mid-November. The drones have made nightly flights in some areas and sometimes travel in clusters. Read more: 'Nefarious' Drones Appearing Over 'Critical' NJ Infrastructure: Cops

The sightings have sparked the creation of a Facebook group "New Jersey Mystery Drones, let's solve it." The group had more than 5,800 members by noon Friday.

The FBI is leading an investigation into the matter. But Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday there is "no known threat to the public at this time."

The FBI's Newark office and New Jersey State Police are asking for the public to report any information related to the drone sightings to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit it online at tips.fbi.gov. The FBI also is asking for photos and video of any drones seen.

Note: This article has been updated with comment from Toms River police, Point Pleasant police and the U.S. Air Force.