An Airborne Investigation of Irregular Drone Explosions by the NJ Naval Base in Morris County, New Jersey, accompanied by an unidentified vehicle

The skies above New Jersey have appeared to be lit up by an unknown vehicle since the middle of November. The US Army’s Picatinny Arsenal research and manufacturing facility in the state’s Morris County reported 11 confirmed instances of mysterious drones illegally entering its airspace since the middle of the month, while a dozen drones were spotted hovering over US Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County in early December. In at least six other counties, similar reports were made, including one of the Coast Guard vessels being followed by a group of drones near a state park.

Chris Smith wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in which he told him that the Joint Base is able to identify and take down unauthorized aerial systems. “I urgently request all capabilities possessed by the Department of Defense, especially those in use by JBMDL to be immediately deployed to identify and address the potential threats posed by [drones] over the state of New Jersey.”

Democratic Senators from New Jersey and New York, as well as Chuck Schumer, and others, sent a letter on Thursday to the FBI, DHS, and FAA demanding that they provide more transparency about the investigation.

On New Jersey Drones: Their Response to the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the NJ General Resilient Aircraft Detector

Across New Jersey, reports of mysterious drone sightings have been rising for weeks, with people contacting authorities and posting on social media about aerial vehicles behaving strangely, especially at night. There are reports in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens. The Federal Aviation Administration banned flying drones over a golf course owned by Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, and an Army garrison in Wharton, New Jersey. While the mystery has gained a lot of attention, most of the information regarding the matter has been kept to a minimum.

The matter was complicated by vague and non-committal statements from state and federal authorities. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI stated on Thursday that no proof of foreign involvement or a threat have been found in ongoing investigations. The Department of Defense shared the same conclusion in a press conference on Wednesday. Furthermore, the FBI and DHS added that none of the sightings have been verified to have been drones at all.

“Today, I spoke with Liz Sherwood-Randall, White House homeland security adviser, to discuss my concerns over the federal government’s response to recent drone sightings in NJ,” New Jersey governor Phil Murphy wrote in a social media post on Thursday. “I’ll continue to press the federal government, including the FBI, for answers on behalf of the public.”