With drones being spotted in New Jersey and other states, here’s what we know so far

For weeks, mysterious drones have been hovering in the skies over New Jersey and other Northeastern states, alarming residents and prompting lawmakers to demand answers.

The drones have been lighting up the night sky since mid-November, with no real explanation as to who is operating them and for what purpose. While there are still many questions surrounding the unidentified flying objects, here’s what we know.

When did the drone sightings start?

The drones were first spotted in New Jersey on November 18th. They appear to appear in the late hours of the night, but it is not clear whether they are present every single night.

A senior official briefed on the drone sightings in New Jersey told NBC News that there have been reports of sightings every night except Thanksgiving, and that there have been “little to no” reports of drone sightings during the day.

NBC News has been tracking reports of possible drone sightings since at least December 3, mostly in New Jersey.

The drones were first spotted in North Jersey, but now appear to be popping up across the state. NBC News has also been tracking possible drone sightings in New York, Maryland and Florida.

The Baltimore FBI said in a statement that it was aware of sightings of possible drones in Maryland and Delaware.

Where do they come from and who runs them?

These remain the biggest unknowns, Officials are unable to publicly determine the origin of the mysterious objects or explain exactly what they do.

In a joint statement last week regarding reports of drones in New Jersey, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they “currently have no evidence that the reported drone sightings pose a threat to national or public safety or have any foreign connection.” .” ”

Authorities said they are working with the New Jersey State Police and their federal partners to investigate the situation.

The statement said authorities had “not confirmed any of the reported visual sightings through electronic detection.”

“On the contrary, upon review of the available images, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft operating lawfully,” the statement said. “There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in restricted airspace. “

The Pentagon has said they were not owned by the military and that they did not come from an Iranian “mother ship” off the East Coast, as Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., suggested.

In a statement to NBC News, the U.S. Secret Service confirmed that it “currently has no unmanned aerial systems operating in or around New Jersey or New York.”

Officials said the drones appeared to be commercial drones, not recreational ones, and that they could be up to 6 feet in diameter.

How many drones have been spotted?

Mayors present at a briefing with New Jersey officials and a DHS representative last week told NBC News that no one from state or federal authorities could confirm exactly how many drones had been spotted over New Jersey.

One said they knew of “at least 400 sightings,” and another said “it could be thousands.”

In part of a broadcast on radio station WBGO last week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said there could be “over-reporting” of sightings, with many residents potentially seeing the same device or mistaking other flying objects for drones.

A senior official briefed on the drone sightings in New Jersey said there were 79 reports of drone sightings in the state overnight from Thursday to Friday.

Several New Jersey officials said drone sightings occur up to 180 times per night.

Numerous federal officials, including the FBI – the lead agency investigating the case – said the drones did not appear to pose a threat, but provided no further information.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched a new drone-specific website designed to answer frequently asked questions about flying objects.

But lawmakers and local officials expressed frustration with federal officials’ information and demanded timely answers.

“We have no idea where these drones come from or who they belong to. We should do a very urgent intelligence analysis and get them out of the sky,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Thursday.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a post Friday on X that he saw “what seemed like dozens of large drones” over his home in the state Thursday night.

He said the public was “increasingly concerned and frustrated by the federal government’s complete lack of transparency and dismissive attitude.”

““I join the growing bipartisan chorus of leaders demanding that the federal government address this issue immediately,” Hogan said.

Murphy, the New Jersey governor, wrote letters to President Joe Biden, Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Rep. Mike Johnson and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, urging Congress to take action.

Murphy said he wants to “encourage Congress to pass legislation authorizing state and local law enforcement agencies to use advanced detection and mitigation technologies to deal with UAS.”

Biden was briefed on the drones early last week.

What should you do if you see a drone?

Drones must be controlled by a pilot so that they do not pose a threat to people or their property, according to the FAA’s drone website. They recommend contacting local law enforcement if you believe someone is flying a drone in an unsafe manner.

But you definitely shouldn’t try to shoot them down, experts told NBC News, despite some lawmakers suggesting it.

Experts said shooting down drones was illegal and could cause serious injuries. The FAA classifies drones as aircraft, and under the Aircraft Sabotage Act, damaging or destroying aircraft is a federal crime – even if it’s flying over private property.

“A private citizen’s shooting at any aircraft, including unmanned aircraft, poses a significant safety risk. “An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash and cause damage to persons or property on the ground, or collide with other objects in the air “said the FAA.

It could also start fires, according to Pramod Abichandani, an associate professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and director of the school’s Advanced Air Mobility Lab. “For the most part, a drone has a lithium battery,” Abichandani said. “If you shoot it, assuming you aim it correctly and actually hit the drone, the drone will crash somewhere. The lithium battery can explode, cause a fire and of course cause property damage.”

Abichandani also pointed out the danger of shooting into the night sky.

“God forbid the stray bullet lands somewhere and hits someone,” he said.