For more than two weeks, New Jersey residents have reported seeing mysterious drones hovering over their homes and neighborhoods at night in the northern part of the state.
The drones, sometimes traveling in groups, have been spotted nightly in some areas. But law enforcement officials have been unable to provide an explanation for the large number of sightings.
The FBI is taking the lead in the investigation, and has asked for the public’s tips to determine if the drones pose a threat to residents.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have many answers, and we don’t want to guess or hypothesize about what’s going on,” FBI spokeswoman Amy J. Thoreson said Wednesday. “We are doing all we can to figure it out.”
The drones have disrupted a medevac helicopter picking up a patient and led to FAA drone flight restrictions over the Trump National Golf Club in Somerset County and Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County.
Here’s what we know about the drone sighting so far:
When did nighttime drone sightings begin?
On Nov. 18, police began investigating reports of large numbers of drones hovering at night in Morris County.
Where have unexplained drones been reported?
Reports have been filed with police about drones in Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Morristown, Morris Township, Chester, Randolph, Rockaway, Morris Plains, Dover and Parsippany in Morris County. Authorities in Hillsborough and Branchburg in Somerset County, and communities in Warren County, have also received reports.
Social media reports about sightings in other towns have been plentiful, including numerous reports in Hunterdon, Monmouth and Sussex counties.
The Warren County Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement Wednesday acknowledging “recent drone activity observed in Warren County.” Prosecutors asked for residents’ assistance in documenting drone sightings, “especially those that involve critical infrastructures.”
There have been reports of sightings near Merrill Creek Reservoir in Harmony, in Warren County.
The FBI also said there have been sightings in “several areas along the Raritan River.”
What’s unusual about the sightings?
Residents said the drones appear in large numbers and seem to hover in the same area night after night. Some of the drones have also been unusually large, according to the reports.
One Morris County resident reported seeing eight drones at once near Black River Middle School in Chester. Another reported seeing 15 over a three-hour period in Morris County.
Some of the drones have been described as appearing to be the size of a car or a small plane.
How are the authorities responding to the reports?
The FBI confirmed last week it is investigating the sightings.
On Monday, the FAA announced it temporarily prohibited drones from the airspace over Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County and Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. The FBI said it requested the restrictions “out of an abundance of caution.”
The FBI asked the public on Tuesday for tips about sightings to help determine if the drones pose a danger to the public.
Local law enforcement officials said the drones are not a threat to residents.
What should residents do if they spot a suspicious drone?
The FBI asked the public to report sightings via its tips line, 1-800-CALL-FBI (800 225-5324). Officials also asked for photos and videos of the drones, which can be uploaded at tips.fbi.gov. For online reports, click on “submit a tip” and then use the “other FBI crimes” tab.
What are possible explanations for the sightings?
It remains unclear if the large number of drone sightings are related — or if there is a single explanation for all of the devices spotted hovering over New Jersey.
Some people theorized the drones are being used by criminals to case houses for robberies. Others suggested they are being used by possible terrorists. Law enforcement officials have not said if any of those theories are plausible.
Theories about the drones belonging to hostile foreign powers, being used for political intrigue, or being controlled by aliens abound on social media.
Pramod Abichandani, a professor who directs the Advanced Air Mobility Lab at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, doesn’t buy those theories.
“To me,” he said, “the simplest explanation is the correct explanation.”
He believes the drones probably belong to commercial or U.S. military operators. Whatever entity owns the drones would likely have significant money and staff to fly so many drones for many hours for many days, he said.
That’s especially true when flying drones in groups, known as swarms, which is technically challenging.
“There are companies in New Jersey that are defense contractors that do swarming of drones,” said Abichandani, who teaches a “Drone Science Fundamentals” class at NJIT. “There are enough smart people now in the world, in the U.S. and New Jersey, that if they really want to, they can start experimenting with swarms of drones.”
If the drones were watching houses for future crimes, as some have suggested, or were being used by hostile foreign entities, they likely would not be so loud or brightly lit, he said.
“It would be extremely careless on the part of people who are working for foreign powers to just expose themselves like that,” Abichandani said. “It takes an incredible amount of competence to do something nefarious with drones.”
Is it legal to fly a drone at night?
The law is complicated, and depends on multiple factors, including: how much the drone weighs, if the pilot has a waiver from the FAA, if drones are used for commercial purposes, if operators have passed a required test, and if the drone is flying over people. Night-flying drones must have lights visible for up to three miles.
What penalties can drone operators face?
Operators who endanger aircraft or pedestrians could be fined up to $75,000 and lose their drone operators’ pilot certificates.
For example, drones over a landing zone prevented a medevac helicopter from picking up an accident victim last week near Raritan Valley Community College in Somerset County, local officials said. It is unclear who was piloting the drones. The drone operator could face fines or a loss of a drone pilot certificate if cited by law enforcement officials.
How can you tell if you’re seeing a drone and not a helicopter?
Drones typically have four propellers in a square formation, with a light near each — two green, and two red, Abichandani said. Helicopters typically have a light on the tail rotor and one in the front. Both can be quite loud.
Do drones have registration numbers that make them easily identifiable?
Since March, the FAA has required a “digital license plate” for drones. The agency is developing data sharing capabilities for law enforcement, so they can have access to FAA registration information, an FAA spokesman said Wednesday.
While newer store-bought drones come with a feature that broadcasts its identification information, many people have older drones, or build their own from parts that don’t have identification.
“You cannot fly a drone without a remote ID broadcast service on the drone,” Abichandani said. “But how many people actually follow that is a different question.”
Can people shoot down drones?
Shooting down a drone is a federal crime and can be dangerous to those in the area, drone experts say.
Can drones be captured?
There are ways to disable a drone, either by jamming its radio signals or chasing it with another drone and ejecting a net over it, Abichandani said.
But the FCC regulates radio frequencies, and frequency jammers are illegal for most people, said William Austin, president of Warren County Community College, and creator of its drone-related associates degree.
It could be dangerous and possibly illegal to intercept drones. It could also be dangerous to those on the ground.
“It sounds like a great idea, but to pull it to the ground, you need someone very well trained in the equipment,” Austin said.
FBI officials did not respond to questions about whether law enforcement officials have attempted to capture drones that appear to hover over the same areas nightly in New Jersey.
