The night sky over New Jersey is lit up as dozens of mysterious drones were spotted flying over the state, including near US President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in the town of Bedminster.

The drones, which some residents say appear larger than hobby drones – those used for recreational purposes – have been spotted flying over the northeastern US state almost every night since November 18 and were initially spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a US military research and production facility, spotted.

Who is flying these drones and what are they doing over New Jersey?

When and where were the drones spotted?

In a December 4 post on Facebook, he warned residents of Florham Park, a New Jersey county, about the drones, Police Chief Joseph Orlando wrote: “For the past two weeks, (drone) sightings have occurred every night… beginning shortly after sunset and continuing well into the early hours of the morning.” He described the drones’ appearance as “inherently nefarious.” .

He also noted that the drones fly over critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, power lines, train stations, police departments and military installations.

On December 5, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wrote on the social media platform X that “there is currently no known threat to the public.”

Yesterday I called a briefing @SecMayorkashigh-ranking officials @DHSgov, @NJOHSPAnd @NJSPand members of our congressional delegation to discuss reported drone activity over portions of northern and central New Jersey.

We are actively monitoring the situation and are committed…

– Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) December 5, 2024

Then on Monday, Murphy told local media that the number of sightings had increased in December. He said on Sunday, December 8 alone, 49 drones were spotted over the state. However, he added that some sightings may have been duplicates.

But some residents, including Rep. Dawn Fantasia of New Jersey, remain nervous.

“We don’t know anything. PERIOD. To suggest that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I have informed all officials of this sentiment,” she wrote on X.

Who operates the drones?

Currently, no one in the US, including the Pentagon and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is able to answer this question.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, U.S. Congressman Jeff Van Drew said “high-level sources” had informed him that “Iran is behind the drones.”

“This mothership…is off the east coast of the United States of America. They have fired drones into everything we can see or hear,” he said.

However, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a press conference in Washington, DC on Wednesday this week: “There is absolutely no truth to this.

“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there is no so-called mother ship launching drones toward the United States,” she said. She added that according to the Pentagon’s initial assessment, the drones were not launched by a “foreign entity.”

Republican Tony Gonzales called the situation “madness” at a congressional hearing on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., after Robert Wheeler, the FBI’s deputy director, told Congress at a hearing on the drone case that the agency had no answers as to who it was behind the flights.

“The office is actively investigating the situation…we are not attributing this (the drones) to any individual or group yet. But I don’t have an answer as to who is responsible for this…” Wheeler said.

What do the drones seem to be doing?

It is completely legal to fly drones in New Jersey, but there are conditions.

According to local government regulations, “Drones are permitted in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use, but are subject to FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulations.” Drones must weigh less than 55 pounds at the time of takeoff.

There is no confirmation as to whether these drones are any larger, but Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey reported from New York and told viewers: “Mysterious drones the size of a car that initially looked like a local anamoly are now attracting attention. “from officials.”

It remains unclear what purpose these dozens of large drones flying over the state serve.

After meeting with State Police and Homeland Security officials on Wednesday, Rep. Fantasia wrote on She added that they sometimes fly with their lights off, making them difficult to spot and flying in unrestricted airspace.

“(They) appear to evade detection by traditional methods (e.g. helicopters, radio frequencies),” she wrote on X.

I just left New Jersey State Police headquarters after New Jersey state legislators were informed of the unexplained drone sightings in New Jersey.
May I add – @GovMurphy
was not present. My notes are organized according to my assessment of the situation below.

1. We know… pic.twitter.com/kPnFGd5g5u

— Dawn Fantasia (@DawnFantasia_NJ) December 11, 2024

The FAA states that all drones flown at night should be equipped with “anti-collision lights that are visible from a distance of at least three legal miles.”

Fantasia added that authorities noted at the meeting that the drones “fly for extended periods of time (6-7 hours) and over a distance of 15 miles (24 km),” raising further questions about the technology and intent of the drones.

As federal authorities search for answers about where the drones were launched from and what purpose they serve, New Jersey residents have posted videos of the drone sightings on social media.

Some locals refer to them as “UFOs” (unidentified flying objects) from space, while others questioned whether they were jets sending streams into the sky and tracking something. Some also told local media outlets that they were “likely to be launched from China.”

The backyard sky is shining like a Christmas tree again tonight. Check out all the air traffic in Succasunna in Morris County, New Jersey. What are all of these? Some planes – are these two jets leaving streams to pursue something? pic.twitter.com/ez4ztNcSj4

— Paul Gerke (@PaulGerke) December 8, 2024

What will happen now?

Amid the various conspiracy theories, Congressman Van Drew told Fox News on December 10 that “gaps in our (U.S.) airspace are being exploited, putting Americans’ safety at risk.”

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who represents New Jersey, wrote down

Al Jazeera’s Saloomey reported that local police in New Jersey have launched their own drones to get more information about the mysterious drones. But she added that there are “more questions than answers” ​​at the moment.

Some residents and officials were frustrated by the unanswered questions about the emergence of the drones and also called on the US military to intervene and shoot down the drones.

However, US law does not allow this unless authorities identify a specific threat to the public from the drones, which has not yet been the case.

The FBI has asked all residents to report drone sightings directly to the agency and also to email them photos or videos, which the agency said will aid its investigation. The US Coast Guard is also supporting the authority in its investigations.

Meanwhile, the White House said it was closely monitoring the situation and reassured residents that they were not in danger.

Is this the first time the US has experienced such an incident?

No, this is not the first time that mysterious flying objects have appeared in the air.

In February, residents of Montana, a landlocked state in the western United States, spotted a giant balloon in the sky. It then crossed the USA and also crossed some sensitive military sites. After investigating, Pentagon officials determined that it was a Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down by a US fighter jet.

The Pentagon added that the balloon did not collect sensitive information, but Beijing expressed regret over Washington’s response and claimed the balloon was a “civilian airship” conducting meteorological research.