Drones Reported Near Brookhaven National Laboratory, Port Jefferson Friday: Officials

SUFFOLK COUNTY, N Y— Drones were reported in the area of Brookhaven National Laboratory and Port Jefferson on Friday night, authorities said.

A Brookhaven Lab police group received a report of "an apparent drone sighting" in the area near the north boundary of the site on Friday evening, a lab spokesperson said Monday.

Police could not confirm any drone flying over the lab's site or anyone operating a drone from the site, so they are not investigating further, according to the spokesperson.

Drones were spotted at around 9:24 p.m. in Port Jefferson, according to a Suffolk police spokesperson.

It was not specified how many of the objects were spotted, or the locations.

It is not clear whether the sightings are under investigation.

No further information was available.

Police said that on Thursday that there were 16 spotted in Suffolk, the same day there were reports in New York City and Connecticut.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Sunday that there will be federal monitoring of drones in New York.
Drone sightings have become somewhat of a phenomenon in recent weeks in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

And like Long Island, there is still is no explanation for the uptick, whether they are nefarious in nature, prompted by good weather, or just that residents are more focused on seeing them than usual due to the reports coming out of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Morris County in New Jersey has been a hotspot for drone sightings since they first started appearing around Nov. 18. But almost four weeks later, state and federal officials have shared little about the origin or purpose of the nighttime visitors.

New Jersey state police have reports of between four and 180 sightings per night, according to officials.

Drones were also spotted throughout the greater Philadelphia area on Thursday, perhaps the most widespread night yet of the unexplained sightings in the local area.

There had only been scattered and intermittent reports around Philadelphia and the five-county suburban area until Thursday night.