Wikipedia

2024 New Jersey drone sightings

Since mid-November 2024,[1] reports have emerged of large, unidentified drones appearing during nighttime hours across multiple counties in New Jersey,[2] as well as parts of New York,[3] eastern Pennsylvania,[4] Maryland,[5] Massachusetts,[6] New Hampshire,[6] Ohio,[7] and Connecticut.[8][9] These alleged sightings have sparked confusion among residents and prompted concerns from local, state, and federal authorities.[10][11] The situation remains unresolved, with investigations led by agencies such as the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the New Jersey State Police.[12][4]

The U.S. federal government has attributed many of these sightings to misidentifications of lawful manned aircraft. The DHS stated that no evidence has been found to confirm drone sightings in restricted airspace,[13] while the Department of Defense did confirm the presence of drones in the airspace over military bases.[14] Commentators have offered various explanations, suggesting that the sightings could be attributed to misidentified aircraft and widespread confirmation bias, government activities (foreign or domestic), or commercial operations.[12][15]

Background

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Unidentified drones have been reported in the United States for several years prior to the 2024 reports.[16] Federal authorities acknowledged other sightings within the United States and internationally.[17] In November 2024, similar unexplained drone incursions were also reported at U.S. air bases in the United Kingdom.[18][19] In December 2024, drones were seen over the U.S. air base Ramstein in Germany as well as German arms manufacturing facilities.[20] In December 2023, multiple drone incursions were reported at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.[4]

The New Jersey sightings have drawn comparisons to similar drone reports in Colorado in 2019.[21] The Colorado Department of Public Safety reconnaissance aircraft responding to reports were unable to find any signs of suspicious activity. Reporters later characterized the incident as a case of "mass hysteria", though University of Auckland lecturer Robert Bartholomew said that a more precise term would be "social delusion" which describes a sociological as opposed to medical phenomenon.[22][23] Reporting on the case of the 2024 sightings, one journalist noted that New Jersey has for generations "played host to stories of the strange and the surreal, including Martian invasions and ghostly treasure guardians".[24]

The FAA estimates that, as of 2024, there were approximately 2.8 million commercial and recreational drones operating in the United States.[16]

Reported sightings

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Initial sightings were reported in Morris and Somerset counties.[25][26] Since then, people have reported sightings in many other New Jersey counties—including Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Passaic, Sussex, Union, and Warren.[2][27] Sightings were also reported in New York City, Orange County (New York), Philadelphia, and various counties in eastern Pennsylvania.[3][28][27][4] Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan claimed to film dozens of large drones above his home in Davidsonville, Maryland, though Steven Greenstreet concluded that the recorded video actually showed the constellation Orion and that, additionally, flight data from the time of the video showed three aircraft flying near where it was filmed.[5][29]

Claimants offered various descriptions, including that the drones were as big as SUVs, that they were seen in strong winds,[30][31] that the lights they saw would "go dark" when spotted,[32][33][18][12] that the sightings were clustered in groups,[26][31] that they were sometimes accompanied by loud humming,[31] and that fixed-wing aircraft were sometimes identified in the same vicinity.[34][35][10] Some experts reviewing footage grouped the purported drones into two categories: quadcopters and fixed-wing aircraft.[15]

There have been multiple confirmed drone sightings by "highly trained security personnel" over Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey according to military officials.[1][36][37][14] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued temporary flight restrictions over Picatinny Arsenal and President-elect Trump's Bedminster golf club.[31][38] Legislators Chris Smith and Paul Kanitra alleged that at least a dozen drones followed a United States Coast Guard vessel.[39][28][40] The Coast Guard confirmed that "multiple low-altitude aircraft were observed in vicinity" of one of their vessels.[41][34]

The sightings have occurred over residential neighborhoods,[25] infrastructure such as power plants and transmission lines,[28][30] railroads and highways,[11][31] and natural features like the Raritan River corridor.[39][2] They have also appeared near sensitive sites, including the Round Valley Reservoir, emergency communications centers, and local police stations.[31][30] On November 26, 2024, a medical evacuation helicopter was delayed in transporting a seriously injured patient due to nearby reports of drone activity.[26][38] According to New York governor Kathy Hochul, Stewart International Airport in Orange County was forced to shut down for an hour due to drone activity.[42][43]

A drone crashed in the backyard of a private residence in Pequannock Township, New Jersey. Initially reported as “military-grade,” a police investigation later identified it as a toy drone. Officials suggested it was one of many “copycat” drones in the area.[44][45]

Investigations and findings

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The FBI leads an interagency investigation that includes the DHS, the New Jersey State Police, and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.[46][47] Officials have acknowledged uncertainty regarding the sightings. Despite collecting over 3,000 reports from the public via a tip line, investigators have not determined a full explanation.[46][11]

On December 12, 2024, White House spokesman John Kirby stated that certain drone sightings could not be verified, and that many of the sightings are actually "manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully".[48][12] He said that they have no evidence suggesting the drone sightings pose a security threat or originate from foreign sources, but urged Congress to pass legislation to help authorities address the drone activity.[48][12] That same day, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement that read:[13]

Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities... upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space.

New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia shared her notes from a legislative briefing on December 11 with officials from the DHS, the State Police, and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security.[49][41] She said that the officials described drones measuring up to six feet in diameter operating for six to seven hours per night, sometimes flying with their lights off.[9][47] Her summary also said the drones "operate in a coordinated manner", evade typical means of detection, and do not appear to be flown by hobbyists.[41] Assemblymen Paul Kanitra and Greg Myhre, who also attended the briefing, said that the briefing's findings seem to contradict the White House's December 12 statements.[40]

The Department of Defense stated that they "have not been able to locate or identify the operators or the points of origin" for the drones seen over Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle.[50][14] They said that they lack the authority required to locate or identify the source of the drones outside the bases, and have to rely on investigation by law enforcement.[50]

Local law enforcement officials voiced concerns over drones' potentially "nefarious" nature.[31][51] According to Ocean County Sheriff's Office, the drones evade detection because they don't emit heat like typical drones.[52] On December 13, John Mitzak, the chief of the Bridgewater, New Jersey police department, issued a statement that "many of the reports received involve misidentification of manned aircraft".[53]

Responses from elected officials

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Elected officials have demanded greater transparency and urgency from federal agencies.[54][55] The White House confirmed that President Biden is aware of the situation,[17] and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas briefed New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and the state's Congressional delegation on the sightings.[3][11][56] Murphy wrote a letter to Biden expressing his "growing concern" about the drone reports. He urged agencies to work together to uncover answers. He also requested Congress to provide additional powers to state and local police in order to counter drones, and additional funding for those purposes.[9][55][56] New York governor Kathy Hochul also called for additional state and local authority to investigate drone activities.[43]

United States Senator Cory Booker wrote to federal authorities seeking more public disclosure and official briefings for local leaders.[34] New York and New Jersey senators Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, and Andy Kim, wrote a letter to federal agencies expressing concern, and requested briefings on their efforts to address the "drone incursions".[48][57] Schumer later requested the DHS to deploy specialized drone detection systems to New York and New Jersey. Schumer also said, "It's remarkable" that, despite the numerous sightings, "we have more questions than answers."[58][59]

President elect Trump and several lawmakers suggested that the U.S. military should shoot down unidentified drones.[60][41] Trump later posted an AI-generated image to his X and Truth Social accounts that, according to New Jersey Advance Media, depicted former New Jersey governor Chris Christie "chowing down on a McDonald’s meal ... while several drones delivering more food" approached him.[61][62][63][64] According to The Daily Beast, there was no evidence to suggest Christie was responsible for the purported drone sightings.[65]

Congressman Josh Gottheimer introduced legislation to fund advanced drone-tracking technologies, restrict weapon attachments to drones, and penalize interference with emergency services, law enforcement, or military operations.[66] State Senator Jon Bramnick suggested a "limited state of emergency" and a temporary ban on drone use until the situation is resolved.[67] Nineteen local officials from New Jersey, including fifteen mayors, called for enhanced federal engagement.[54]

Congressman Jeff Van Drew claimed that he had information from "very high sources" that "Iran launched a mothership that contains these drones".[68] The Pentagon refuted this, stating there were no Iranian ships off the coast of the U.S., and no evidence that the drones originated from foreign adversaries.[35] New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also questioned the veracity of Van Drew's claims, suggesting Iran did not have the capabilities to undertake such a mission.[69] In response, according to Politico, Van Drew "appeared to soften his assertion" and also suggested the drones could be "Chinese".[69]

Senator Andy Kim joined the Clinton Township Police for a nighttime patrol and reported "a number of different drones" near the Round Valley Reservoir, though later acknowledged "most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes". [70][71][72]

Potential explanations

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Autokinesis

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Amie Gallagher, director of the planetarium at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, New Jersey, interviewed about possible explanations for the sightings, observed the phenomenon of autokinesis in which a person, staring at a celestial object, experiences "the muscles in ... their eye try[ing] to focus on the object" which creates the illusion of motion.[73]

Commercial activity

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Corporations have been put forward as a possible source of the sightings. The president of the New Jersey Innovation Institute, which runs a drone program for companies and government agencies, considers this notion "very unlikely," saying that if a company was behind it, they would have stopped by now.[15]

Foreign drones

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Although some lawmakers and civilians have proposed foreign countries as the source of the sightings, federal investigators have repeatedly rejected this notion.[15][35][48] Former U.S. Air Force general James Poss is skeptical of this explanation because the aircraft use FAA-compliant lighting: "When people turn their lights on their drones at night, it tells you it's the world’s worst terrorist or exactly the kind of enemy you want to fight."[15]

Misidentification

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Interviewed by Dronelife, drone expert William Austin said that his analysis of imagery and reports related to the purported sightings led him to believe that "many of the reported 'large drones' were actually manned aircraft mistakenly identified" while others were the lights of cell towers, or smaller, personal use drones.[74][75] In a subsequent interview with the Associated Press, Austin attributed some misidentification to individuals experiencing the parallax effect.[75]

Brandon Valeriano, a professor at Seton Hall University specializing in cybersecurity, indicated the purported sightings were probably connected to hobbyist UAV use, that some members of the public had sought "wild explanations for the things they can’t understand", and there was "likely zero nefarious intent".[76]

Joshua Tan, a professor of astronomy at LaGuardia Community College, suggested that the widespread nature of the purported sightings might be a case of confirmation bias in which the public — newly attentive to aerial and celestial objects due to media reporting — were misinterpreting mundane or routine phenomena.[77] According to Tan, "people are just not familiar with what’s in the sky generally".[77]

Skeptic Mick West has also suggested many of the sightings were cases of misidentification and videos purporting to show drones with unusual characteristics could be explained by the poor quality of smartphone camera optics.[78]

Asked by a reporter from WNEP-TV to analyze video of the purported drone sightings, the owners of three different UAV retail stores said they felt most of the objects spotted were either manned aircraft or the result of "nighttime illusion".[79]

U.S. government testing

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Some have suggested that the sightings could be explained by the U.S. military testing new systems. Former defence official Michael Horowitz disagreed, saying "there are ranges and places where you would test those systems" and that New Jersey residents wouldn't be seeing them regularly.[15]

Other explanations

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In a December 13 column for the Washington Post, Max Boot suggested the sightings could be at least partly explained by "mass hysteria" which, he noted, was "a recurring feature of American life".[80] The War Zone's Tyler Rogoway also suggested "mass hysteria" and misidentified aircraft could be the cause of the wave of purported sightings.[81] Writing in Reason, Matthew Petti observed that "the mass panic about a drone menace is also causing people to connect unrelated incidents and see things that aren't there".[82]

Historian and UFO researcher Mitch Horowitz has stated that this is the first time he had seen this level of sighting of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, and he described the occurrences and reactions thereto as marking a liminal moment in human history.[83]

See also

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References

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  81. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (December 13, 2024). "None Of The New Jersey Visual Drone Sightings Have Been Corroborated: White House". The War Zone. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  82. ^ Petti, Matthew (December 13, 2024). "No, an Iranian 'Mothership' Isn't Attacking New Jersey With UFOs". Reason. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  83. ^ Nelson, Jason (December 13, 2024). "Pentagon Responds to Unidentified Drones Flying Over New Jersey". decrypt.co. New York, NY. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
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