Mysterious New Jersey Drone Sightings
Since November 2024, residents across the northeastern United States have reported mysterious large drones, approximately 6 feet in diameter, appearing in coordinated formations at night over populated areas and military installations.
These unidentified drones possess unusual characteristics: they’re undetectable by radar, demonstrate advanced evasive capabilities when pursued, and have been spotted coming in from the ocean, leading to various theories ranging from foreign surveillance to military testing of new technology.
While thousands of sightings have been reported, government agencies including the FBI, DHS, and Pentagon have downplayed the incidents, stating they’ve found no evidence of threats to national security and suggesting many sightings may be misidentified conventional aircraft.
The lack of clear explanations and minimal government response has frustrated local officials and residents, with some state leaders calling for expanded authority to track and neutralize unauthorized drones in their airspace.
Why are so many people seeing strange drones in the sky in New Jersey?
Is this a simple case of overreaction?
Or could this be another case of our government hiding the truth?
What is up, Bizarros?! This week, we are flying into the skies above New Jersey to test the believability… of the New Jersey Drone Sightings.
What Do We Know About The Reports Of Drone Activity In New Jersey?
Large drones have been hovering in formation over northern New Jersey, leading to “unnerved” and freaked-out residents wondering what’s behind these bright, unidentified flying objects appearing almost every night in the sky.
Initial sightings were reported in Morris and Somerset counties, New Jersey.
The concern is where these drones are coming from, who is controlling the drones, and whether they are a threat.
We’ll discuss more later, but theories range from our government, other governments, and aliens to purely hobbyists.
Where Have The Drones Been Spotted?
The drones were first spotted in New Jersey on Nov. 18. They appear to show up in the late hours of the night.
Many reports of drone sightings have taken place in New Jersey, but there are also reports from New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, and elsewhere.
Including all the way in California.
Drones have reportedly been spotted in at least 12 New Jersey counties, including in the airspace over Naval Weapons Station Earle and above “critical infrastructure” in Florham Park.
There have also been numerous reports of unidentified drones around Staten Island in New York City, including near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City, according to Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y.
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he “personally witnessed (and videoed) what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence in Davidsonville, Maryland (25 miles from our nation’s capital). I observed the activity for approximately 45 minutes,” beginning at about 9:45 p.m. Thursday night.
His tweet said, “Last night, beginning around 9:45 pm, I personally witnessed and videoed what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence in Davidsonville, Maryland (25 miles from Washington DC).
He observed them for about 45 minutes.
Hogan expressed frustration at the response from the federal government, calling it “entirely unacceptable.” He also said that “like many who have observed these drones,” he didn’t know if they posed a threat to public safety or national security.
“But the public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government,” Hogan said. “The government has the ability to track these from their point of origin but has mounted a negligent response. People are rightfully clamoring for answers but aren’t getting any.”
Further north, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said she is aware of a “growing number of drone sightings” in her state.
How big are these drones?
These are relatively large drones.
New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia described these coordinated drones as up to 6 feet in diameter and flying 6 to 7 hours.
What Makes These Drones Strange?
Okay, so they are drones. You can buy a drone; anyone can buy a drone.
What is the big deal? Why are these so strange?
Well, other than the big question of where they came from, there are a few unusual characteristics of them.
First, they only show up at night, and they seem to be coordinated. They aren’t one off drones on their own, there are multiple flying together.
Second – they are undetectable by radar. Essentially, most drones emit a radio frequency between the controller, so to speak, and the actually flying drone.
However, these drones do not emit any sort of frequency that can be detected by radar, which is very strange.
Third – When law enforcement attempts to investigate via helicopter, the objects demonstrate evasive capabilities, typically turning off their lights and disappearing into the night sky.
Sure, this is happening at night, but still, any helicopter or vessel that has tried to follow or inspect one of the drones just completely loses it.
Do They Make Noise?
While some individuals have claimed to hear a soft hum, others have said they are completely silent.
Here is a quote from CBS Boston:
Multiple people reported to police drone activity over Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Thursday night, according to CBS Boston. A resident in the Cape Cod town of Harwich told police she saw 10 to 15 drones over her house beginning at about 9 p.m. Thursday.
“The resident could not hear the drones but stated they were very bright, and she observed these for over an hour,” Harwich Police Chief Kevin Considine said in a news release.
Where are the drones coming from?
“Our initial assessment is that this is not the work of a foreign adversary or a foreign entity,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said.
After assessing that the drones are not a threat to military operations or installations, the Pentagon is leaving it up to local law enforcement officials and the FBI to investigate the origins and type of drones.
Singh said the drones were not U.S. military drones, and she refuted an idea presented by Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey that there was an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast of the United States launching the drones.
What is the Government Saying?
National Threat?
Officials say there’s no indication of security threats. The FBI and DHS released a statement on Dec. 12 saying investigators have “no evidence at this time” of “malicious activity” in New Jersey or a “national security or public safety threat.”
The statement adds they have not identified “a foreign nexus” for the drones and will continue the investigation. It also said many of the drone sightings have been “cases of mistaken identity,” confusing drones for lawful, identified aircraft.
John Kirby, the White House’s national security communications advisor, reiterated the FBI’s statement at a briefing on Dec. 12 and said officials “have not been able to…corroborate any of the reported visual sightings.”
Have There Been Any Arrests?
Police in Boston say they arrested two people on Dec. 14 who allegedly flew a drone “dangerously close” to Logan International Airport from an island in Boston Harbor, while a third is believed to have fled by boat.
There’s no indication the arrest is related to any of the sightings throughout the Northeast, but it underscores recent worries.
Why Not Shoot Them Down?
Some lawmakers have called for shooting down the drones to analyze them, but others have voiced concern over falling debris endangering highly populated areas.
The Pentagon deputy press secretary said base commanders have the authority to shoot them down if they pose a threat to military installations, but so far, there hasn’t been a threat.
U.S. Northern Command, which oversees the protection of the territory of the United States, said in a statement that it has not received requests from local law enforcement agencies to assist.
“We are aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey, including Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, and we refer you to those installations for information on any efforts they may be conducting to ensure the safety and security of their personnel and operations,” the statement said.
Forbes created a really good list and timeline of events for the multiple sightings of drones that we’ll go over.
-The Federal Aviation Administration responded in early December by implementing and later extending “temporary flight restrictions” on drone use over the Picatinny Arsenal military base and Bedminster.
-A New Jersey police chief described the drones as the size of a car and bigger than the standard recreational drones available for amateur flyers; sightings have been “occurring nightly for the past two weeks, beginning just after sunset and lasting well into the early morning hours,” Joseph Orlando, chief of police in Florham Park, New Jersey, said in a statement on Dec. 4.
-The reports started when New Jersey police announced on Nov. 19 that officers had witnessed “drone activity” the previous night over Morris County, in the state’s northwest corner, and said they would investigate the activity, noting rumors were “spreading on social media.” However, there was “no known threat to public safety.”
-Michael Melham, the mayor of Belleville, New Jersey, told Fox News the state’s Office of Emergency Management urged him to “immediately call the [county] bomb squad” if there is a “downed drone” nearby and that the fire department was “instructed to wear hazmat suits” around any fallen drone, saying it’s unclear if the drones have a “payload.”
-Connecticut state Sen. Tony Hwang released a statement on Dec. 13 saying there were “sightings of possible unauthorized drones” in Fairfield, Connecticut, saying the state must be “proactive, not reactive” in getting answers, even if it means “shooting drones down.”
-Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., posted several videos on X of alleged drone sightings he recorded while out with police on Dec. 12 at night and described them doing maneuvers that are uncharacteristic of planes—though he acknowledged later that “deeper analysis” indicated most of the sightings were “almost certainly planes.”
-New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Dec. 15 that federal officials are sending a “state of the art drone detection system” to her state, but argued Congress should give the state “the power to deal directly with the drones”—an idea also backed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, while Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for Congress to give local police “more tools.”
-The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base—a base just miles from Dayton, Ohio, that houses technology and research facilities—closed its air operations for nearly four hours from Friday night into Saturday because of “small unmanned aerial systems.” However, the facility was not impacted, Purtiman told multiple local outlets.
-Still, the uptick in reported unidentified aircraft sightings has caused concern across several states, with social media users posting videos of lit objects hovering in the sky at night and state officials asking the federal government for clarity.
-In a similar vein, an unnamed FBI official said in a White House briefing that fewer than 100 of the federal agency’s 5,000 tips on drone sightings have been worthy of further investigation. Modeling shows many of the sightings have taken place in the flight paths of major airports, suggesting people could be mistaking planes for drones.
-Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC News on Dec. 15, “There’s no question that people are seeing drones.” However, some of the recent sightings in New Jersey and other East Coast states might be manned aircraft or duplicate reports. He also said he decided to “cancel” a trip to Bedminster, New Jersey, a region with reported drone activity that is home to one of Trump’s golf clubs.
-President-elect Donald Trump, before declining to comment if he had received an intelligence briefing, told reporters Monday the drones aren’t “the enemy”—he claimed the president, the government, and the military “know what is happening” but are keeping the public in “suspense.”
-In a joint statement, the federal agencies of the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and Defense Department said they examined the notable leads from the more than 5,000 reported drone sightings and determined “the sightings to date” are a “combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.” The statement added that the agencies have not “identified anything anomalous,” and the reported activity does not pose any national security or public safety risk over the airspace in New Jersey and other nearby states.
-President Biden spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday at the White House about the reported drones, responding to a reporter with “they’re checking it all out,” but that it’s “nothing nefarious apparently” and poses “so far no sense of danger”—adding that “there are a lot of drones authorized up there,” and he thinks “one started it” and “everybody wanted to get in on the deal.”
-Senator Rand Paul objected to a request to immediately push forward a bill from Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., that would give the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice the ability to surveil, track, control, and destroy any drone identified as a threat — a bill that Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tried to expedite by seeking unanimous consent on the Senate floor.
Particularly Strange Drone Sighting
Weird Shape One
Sony A7IV 600mm lens over Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey
A professional photographer using a Sony a7 IV with a 600mm lens took a photo of the drone. This photograph revealed what appeared to be a large glowing sphere with distinct internal geometric patterns, adding another layer of mystery to the situation.
Others have also taken pictures and uploaded them online, which appear to be glowing balls of light.
Let’s do a little recap before the theories:
For about 3 weeks, mysterious drones have been sighted over New Jersey, causing confusion and frustration among residents due to the lack of official explanation, creating a level of distrust in the government.
The drones are approximately 6 feet in diameter and appear in various forms, from miniature helicopter-like devices to glowing balls of light.
These objects cannot be detected by radar and don’t emit typical drone communication signals, suggesting advanced technology.
When pursued by police helicopters, the drones typically turn off their lights and disappear.
The US Coast Guard has reported these objects flying in from the ocean.
Despite the governor of New Jersey giving permission to shoot them down, no action has been taken by federal authorities. This is more than likely because of the deadly consequences of shooting over a highly populated area.
Unlike previous UFO incidents, the military hasn’t scrambled jets to investigate these objects.
Professional photographs captured photos using a Sony a7 IV with a 600mm lens show what appears to be a large glowing ball of light with internal geometry.
The government’s response has been minimal, with even FBI officials claiming ignorance during congressional meetings.
Theories On The Mysterious Sightings
Simply Hobbyist
This theory suggests wealthy individuals or groups are operating sophisticated custom-built drones.
While possible, the technology involved seems beyond typical hobbyist capabilities.
The lack of detectable signals and apparent advanced features make this explanation unlikely.
Along with the vast area of sightings.
Iranian Or Chinese Ship?
Some suggest an Iranian “mothership” or Chinese “mothership” in international waters is launching these drones.
This is due to the fact that the US Coast Guard has reported that these drones come in from the ocean.
So, Where Are The Drones Coming From? The Sea?
The Pentagon was asked about this, and they denied its possibility.
Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, claimed, “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States,” Singh told reporters at a briefing on Dec. 11.
Some experts have said the battery life wouldn’t make sense for this to be the case.
This brings us back to one of the strange characteristics: our government’s refusal to shoot them down.
If they were known foreign entities or posed national security risks, we would have taken appropriate action.
Hysteria And Rumors – Mr. Midwit (Twitter)
I am pretty sure what happened was that someone spotted military drones, rumors started, and people sent their own drones to investigate.
Those drones got spotted, causing even more rumors and more drones to show up, creating a drone snowball effect.
Then, someone shines a laser pointer at one drone. From the other drones’ POV, it looks like that drone is emitting the laser. Naturally, all the drones swarm that one like it’s the chosen one.
From the perspective of the person with the laser pointer, they’re panicking because it looks like shining the laser at one drone somehow triggers a hive-mind response, summoning a swarm of drones to back it up.
The whole time, the original drone was probably just running some routine test of new military tech—nothing too wild. Which, honestly, we should be doing anyway, considering how far behind we are compared to China in drone advancements
Experimental Navy Drones /Government Tech Testing
I think it’s a PieroDynamics XP-4 Transwing drone. Note the stubby nose, straight side wings, and long tail with dual forking fins.
The PteroDynamics XP-4 is being developed for the U.S. Navy as a recon and logistics drone, capable of picking up and dropping off packages between land and a moving ship, including in high seas and high winds.
As the name suggests, it’s a Transwing design that transitions between the quadcopter and fixed-wing modes for both long-range flight and VTOL capabilities. So it can hover pretty much at will.
Officially, it has a one-hour flight time at max payload, but could have been upgraded.
It’s about 13ft wide by 6ft long – about the dimensions of a compact SUV, consistent with witness statements.
And, wouldn’t you know it, right where it’s most commonly seen, we find Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, home of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), whose whole job is to research, test and support aircraft for navy combat operations.
This also explains why it’s appearing every night and how it’s sticking around so long: It literally has a home base to swap batteries at all night long.
And why they’re not talking about them: it’s their drones, and they don’t want to advertise.
The Drones Are Looking For Something
John Ferguson – Saxon Aerospace military-grade unmanned aircraft systems.
Mr. Ferguson thinks that they are looking for something.
He does not believe they are nefarious. He believes that drones serve no purpose at night unless they are doing some type of ISR or intelligence surveillance recon. Or search and rescue. And has a theory as to what they are looking for.
Public Reaction Study
Some speculate this could be a government study of public reaction to unexplained aerial phenomena.
This would align with historical concerns about public panic regarding UFOs, potentially gathering data on modern social responses to mysterious objects.
Basically, the idea is to give them a little bit of exposure and see how we react.
Do we panic, riot, or what? It’s theorized that using drones at night is a relatively harmless test.
But there are two other angles.
1. The popularity of all the UAP and alien information coming to light is concerning the government, and we are slowly being exposed to what they’ve known – aliens exist and are here.
2. Similarly, this could be a distraction tactic. Economic issues or things like that. For instance, when the UAP footage came out right around the time of COVID-19.
Nefarious Government / Project Bluebook
Some are theorizing this is the beginning of Project Bluebook which is basically like a completely New World Order takeover.
You can go down hour-long rabbit holes regarding Project Blue Book, but summed up, it is believed that the government or NASA created it.
The idea is that they will create fake fear, holograms, and entities in the sky that create massive fear and will make all of us put our trust in the government.
These holograms and symbols may also reflect religious ideologies, thus creating one belief and one religion that we all fall under.
And then freedoms, beliefs, and currency are taken away, and we live under this new world order.
That’s a very, very brief overview, but some folks believe that these drones are the beginning of that.
Extraterrestrial/Interdimensional Visitors
Drawing from the “glowing orb” photographs, some suggest these might be portals or crafts from other dimensions or space.
Also, videos have been uploaded online showing electronic malfunctions in New Jersey, like parking lots of cars all beeping and going off.
Tell-tale signs of alien activity.
The unusual characteristics and apparent origin from the ocean could align with historical USO (Unidentified Submerged Object) reports and theories about underwater bases.
Are The New Jersey Drone Sightings An Imminent Threat Or Something Else?
What do you think, Bizarros?
Are these drones a direct threat or a sign of foreign involvement from our nation’s enemies?
Could the reports of sightings be extraterrestrial?
Is it a PsyOp from our government to see how we would react?
Let us know what you think the New Jersey Drone Sightings are.
Sources: The Guardian, NBC, AP News, Forbes, CBS, NPR, Twitter, Reddit,