Something strange is happening in the skies over New Jersey, and no one seems quite sure what to make of it – not the governor, not members of Congress, not the FBI.

What they do know is that starting in mid-November, dozens of identified drones were spotted at night in at least ten different counties across the state. They don’t know where the drones come from, who is flying them and why.

Authorities said the drones were spotted over critical infrastructure, including reservoirs, power lines, train stations, police departments and military installations.

There have already been at least 11 sightings this week at a U.S. Army base in northern Morris County, Army officials said. Several of these came even after the Federal Aviation Administration decided to temporarily ban drone flights. In neighboring Somerset County, the FAA has also banned drone flights over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course.

It is not illegal to fly a drone in New Jersey as long as the operator is certified by the FAA. Small, unregistered drones used for recreational purposes can be flown in unrestricted areas.

But the number and mysterious nature of the sightings have left many Garden State residents uneasy. This also applies to their size, as many of the drones appear to be larger than those typically used by hobbyists.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s office did not respond to a request for comment, but told Murphy at an unrelated bill signing earlier this week that there were 49 sightings on Sunday alone – although some of them may be duplicates or just traded possible sightings.

In a social media post last week, Murphy said state officials were “actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners.”

“There is no known risk to the public at this time,” Murphy said.

Murphy’s assurances have done little to assuage the concerns of residents and other officials across the state. In a statement posted on Facebook last week, the police chief of Florham Park, New Jersey, said, “Your presence appears to be inherently nefarious.” And during a House hearing on Monday focused on unmanned aerial systems , Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, said he considers the drones to be a “very serious threat.”

Given the alarm the drones have raised, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said in a statement Monday that he is calling for more transparency from federal officials.

“There is a growing sense of uncertainty and urgency across the state – among both voters and local officials – despite assurances that the drones pose no known threat to public safety,” Booker wrote in a letter to FBI and FBI executives the ministries of transportation and internal security.

“Therefore, I urge you to share any relevant information about these drone sightings with the public. Without transparency, I believe rumors, fears and misinformation will continue to spread,” he added.

So far, at least one theory has been ruled out – that the drones came from the Picatinny Arsenal military research base in Morris County. In a statement obtained by Morristown Daily record On Monday, the base commander, Lt. Col. Craig Bonham II, said the drones did not belong to them.

“While the source and cause of these aircraft operating in our area remains unknown, we can confirm that they are not the result of any activity related to Picatinny Arsenal,” Bonham said.

The FBI has launched an investigation, but FBI officials say key questions remain unanswered.

Robert Wheeler, the deputy director of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, said in a call with House Democrats on Monday that the FBI still doesn’t know whether a specific person was responsible for the flights or whether they were the work of a larger group . Wheeler also couldn’t definitively rule out that the drones could pose a threat to public safety or national security.

“There’s nothing known that would lead me to make that statement, but we just don’t know, and that’s the concerning part,” Wheeler said.

In a statement, the FBI said it “continues to work with our federal, state, local and tribal partners to share information and protect the public.” It added that any drones “that pose a threat to aircraft or are observed operating in restricted airspace or near critical infrastructure and other sensitive locations should be reported to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225 -) can be reported. 5324) or online at Tips.fbi.gov.”

Unidentified drones have puzzled the public before. At the beginning of this year the Wall Street Journal reported unidentified drones roaming Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days. As with the drones over New Jersey, these flights were reminiscent of the Chinese spy balloon that the US military shot down over the coast of South Carolina in 2023.

The flights over New Jersey have led to calls for the military to shoot down the unidentified drones. But under federal law, the military is largely prohibited from doing so unless the drone poses an imminent threat. It is also illegal for individuals to shoot down aircraft – including drones.