Although the federal investigation into mysterious drone sightings in recent weeks has centered on the skies of New Jersey and New York, flying objects piloted by unknown operators have become a worldwide phenomenon.
U.S. officials say the drones do not belong to the U.S. military or belong to any foreign government. But the number of sightings continues to grow as lawmakers and residents demand more government transparency and answers about what these objects are.
mid-atlantic region
In New Jersey, two of the most high-profile sightings involved people in sensitive areas: picatinny arsenala U.S. military research and manufacturing facility located in Morris County in the northeastern part of the state.
President-elect Trump's trump national golf clublocated in Bedminster — 40 miles west of New York City — This is also the place where the drone was spotted. Reported by WJAR.
Multiple drones are seen over Bernardsville, New Jersey on December 5, 2024. (Brian Glenn/TMX via AP)
New Jersey House of Representatives Fantasia of the Dawn (R) wrote: social media posts She said the drones seen in her state were up to 6 feet in diameter and were sometimes flying with their lights off.
According to Fantasia, the first sighting occurred on November 18th and has continued every night since then. He said reported sightings typically occur between 6pm and 11pm, and range from four to 180 sightings a night.
She estimates there are typically an average of 92 sightings a night, with a conservative 2,500 sightings starting to be reported.
Two legislators representing the Jersey Shore area reported that 12 drones had been spotted. Near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Parkin Ocean County. In these cases, drones were seen tracking U.S. Coast Guard lifeboats, WJAR reported.
A Coast Guard spokesperson reported that “multiple low-altitude aircraft” were reported near one of the agency's boats.
According to a WJAR report, recreational and commercial drone use is legal in New Jersey. However, it is subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations. Drone operators must be certified by the FAA, according to the report.
New Jersey legislators senator cory booker (D), expressed concern and frustration at the federal government's lack of transparency on this issue.
“We need to know what's going on in the sky,” Booker said, according to WJAR.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said he doesn't believe the drone sightings pose any threat. But Murphy's office announced Friday that it had contacted President Biden about concerns about unmanned aircraft systems around the Garden State.
In his letter, Murphy wrote that the state's state and local law enforcement agencies are limited in their ability to deal with drones, and that more federal resources should be dedicated to the problem.
Another lawmaker, Sen. Andy Kim (D.N.J.), reported seeing a drone while on local police patrol. Kim said she witnessed white, red and green lights appearing in groups of five to seven at a time.
Kim writes: series of posts Social platform X said they knew the light was not associated with the aircraft because the object was not visible on the FlightAware tracker.
In New York City, residents in the Bronx and Queens have reported multiple sightings of drones, as well as sightings over LaGuardia Airport. new york daily news It was reported on Friday.
New York City Emergency Management Agency Shared by X He said he had not received any official reports of drone activity, but was aware of reports of sightings near the airport.
The report said the drone took off after police were called to the scene in the Bronx. Police also reported sightings on Staten Island.
In Maryland, a Bowie resident shared video of a drone sighting with local news outlets.
Autumn Stazuli and her family said. DC News Now When they went out to see the Christmas lights, they saw red and green lights flashing. She said she saw three to five drones the size of SUVs making loud noises.
“There were just drones everywhere,” she added.
Stazuli also said it appears military planes are tracking the drones and is concerned about where the planes are coming from.
Reported by former Governor Larry Hogan (R-Maryland). in a social media post Hogan wrote that he saw dozens of large drones over his home in Davidsonville, Maryland, 40 miles from Washington, D.C., on Thursday night, and the drone activity lasted about 45 minutes.
Midwest
Lives in Northfield, Minnesota. — Located south of Minneapolis-St. pole — There are reports of people seeing mysterious flashing lights in the night sky.
Deborah Wagner and daughter told Fox 9 Difficult to track lights.
“We started trying to track them down, but they wouldn't track us,” Wagner said, adding that the lights seemed to go out.
Her daughter Chrissy Grady tried to take a video of the sphere with her cell phone, but the video showed the object floating in the air before disappearing.
“Is that a UFO? Does it belong to the government?” Grady asked.
west coast
Similar sightings have been reported in Southern California, where residents have been seen seeing colored lights.
Colin Rambo lives in Lemon Grove, a suburb of San Diego. told CBS 8 He said he saw “a bundle of red lights in the sky.” Rambo told the television station that he saw what he called a “red glowing orb” while driving.
Rambo reported seeing at least 25 orbs over a five-minute period.
In Temecula, located in Southern California's wine country in Riverside County, residents reported seeing a large drone hovering over the area.
One resident said the object was the size of a car.
They were just going in a straight line in one direction and then all of a sudden they keep zig-zagging and zig-zagging, or they change direction and suddenly come to a screeching halt,” the man said.
Local sheriff's officials said the drone was not property of the department.
camp pendletonA Marine Corps base north of San Diego said the base had received multiple reports of drone sightings from local residents. A base spokesperson told CBS 8 that no drone activity was planned at the base at the time of the sighting.
international
Unidentified drones have also been spotted over four Royal Air Force bases in the UK, prompting the British government to request military assistance. The US Air Force announced.
Air Force officials said “small” drones have continued to be sighted in or around four British military facilities since November 20. None of the activities disrupted base operations, officials said.
The Air Force said in a statement that the objects varied in size and shape and that the military was working with host country officials and mission partners to contain base personnel.
Reuters reports that drones has also been seen this month at the U.S. Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany.
Sources told International News Agency that German authorities have not yet determined who is operating the drone. However, they ruled out the possibility that the drone was operated by an amateur.
NewsNation's Ross Coulthard examines the mysterious incidents of mysterious drones sighted across New Jersey in a one-hour special on NewsNation starting December 14 at 9pm ET.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.
