Drone Crash Investigated In Point Pleasant Beach

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — A report of a drone crashing into the Atlantic Ocean along the beach in Point Pleasant Beach was unable to be confirmed Tuesday night, borough police said.

Point Pleasant Beach police said the department was notified at 5:09 p.m. that a drone had crashed along the coastline.

After searching for more than three hours, police "could not locate or confirm the report," the department said. The U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police, and FBI were notified, police said.

"We continue to remain dedicated to staying ahead of emerging threats and working collaboratively to safeguard the people of Point Pleasant Beach," the police department said.

The crash report came as drone sightings have continued and demands continue for more information and action from federal authorities on the source of the drones.

Point Pleasant Beach police have been briefed along with authorities statewide about the drone activity, including at a meeting last week with the state Office of Homeland Security.

On Tuesday, the federal Department of Homeland Security and the FBI released a joint statement, saying, "We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The FBI, DHS and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings."

"Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities," the statement said. "We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space."

"We take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports. To be clear, they have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage. While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities," the federal statement said.

Point Pleasant Beach police urged residents to continue to report any suspicious drone activity to appropriate authorities, including by calling the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or calling borough police at 732-892-0500. Submit tips and video footage online at https://tips.fbi.gov/home.