New Jersey Had 49 “Mystery Drone” Sightings In One Night, Governor

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Gov. Phil Murphy said the state received reports of 49 drone sightings in New Jersey on Sunday night, though one turned out to be a small plane, and some were multiple reports of the same objects in the sky.

The sightings came after several weeks of reports of “mystery drones” flying over parts of New Jersey at night. The sightings have included reports of multiple drones flying over the same areas each night and reports of unusually large drones, the kind not usually used by hobbyists, over some areas.

The FBI continues to investigate the sightings.

Murphy said the nearly 50 reports that came in on Sunday alone included some that were not actually drones and some that were multiple people reporting the same objects. It was unclear how many of the reports were legitimate drone sightings.

“We think these are overstated, but it’s a non-zero number,” the governor told reporters Monday morning following a bill signing in Princeton.

About 20 of the sightings on Sunday were in Hunterdon County, Murphy said. The county has had a high number of reports of hovering drones over the last few weeks.

Murphy stressed “the most important point is: We don’t see any concern for public safety.”

“Having said that, it’s really frustrating that we don’t have more answers as to where they’re coming from and why they’re doing what they’re doing,” he said.

Many residents posting pictures and videos of “mystery drones” on social media sites are actually tracking airplanes approaching area airports, drone experts said. They urged residents to consult flight tracking websites and apps, including FlightAware or FlightRadar24, to verify they are not looking at an airplane.

Local officials said the nighttime drone sightings date back to at least Nov. 18 in New Jersey and many appear to be legitimate sightings of unexplained drone activity. Residents and local officials reported sightings of drones flying over Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County, as well as Round Valley Reservoir, the state’s largest reservoir, in Hunterdon County.

Murphy said the investigation includes Homeland Security, the FBI, the Secret Service, the State Police, and authorities at all levels of government.

“I would just ask folks to continue to let the FBI or their local law enforcement know when they see something and we’ll continue to do everything we can with our federal partners to get clear answers,” he said.

The FBI asked the public to report sightings via its tips line, 1-800-CALL-FBI (800 225-5324). The bureau also asked for photos and videos of the drones, which can be uploaded at tips.fbi.gov.

Asked why answers about the sightings are so hard to come by, Murphy said the drones are “very sophisticated.”

“The minute you get eyes on them, they go dark,” he said.

Murphy said there had been “a couple of rumored downings” of drones that were unsubstantiated. One was a toy and one was never located, he said.

MORE: Drones spotted over N.J.’s largest reservoir, worrying local officials

Officials are most concerned about the safety of sensitive targets and critical infrastructure sites, such as military bases, utilities, and President-elect Donald Trump’s residence at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, Murphy said.

“This is something we’re taking deadly seriously,” Murphy said. “We’ve got good cooperation out of the feds, but we need more.”

At least one state lawmaker called for legislative hearings and a special legislative session on the drone mystery.

State Sen. Doug Steinhardt, R-Warren, said he asked Murphy, state Senate President Nick Scutari, D-Union, and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, to convene legislative hearings and a special legislative session to address the situation.

Steinhardt said he and his constituents are frustrated.

”There’s just a complete void of information,” he said. “It’s a breeding ground for people to come up with conspiracy theories.”

Steinhardt said he saw eight to 10 tri-colored objects in the sky near his Warren County home Sunday night. Some were stationary, others moving, he said.

Some may have been planes, others were probably drones, Steinhardt said.

“I can only speak for me and what I saw. I saw both,” he said. “More drones than planes. And at least one was hovering and another changed direction from my view.”

Even drone experts have had difficulty trying to verify recent sightings posted online, said Jason Miklowcic, a New Jersey public school teacher for more than 20 years who teaches people to fly drones with UAV Coach in Sayreville.

“My drone group was seeing a lot of the pictures, and a lot of them are going out trying to look for the drones,” he said. “Most of the time it is a helicopter or plane. A lot of the sightings are not drones at all.”

However, even the legitimate drone sightings can appear to be planes, Miklowcic said.

“They certainly have the strobe light and the red and green lights, and they do have wings. They’re not standard recreational looking drone, so it’s very difficult to tell the difference,” he said.

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