December 06, 2024
.Stephanie Donnelly/for PhillyVoice
For weeks, people have reported seeing drones flying above parts of North Jersey. On Thursday, similar reports were made in Evesham, Cherry Hill, Medford and Mount Laurel. The image above was captured from a video of a suspected drone above Budd Lake in Morris County on Dec. 4, 2024.
Add several municipalities in South Jersey to the list of places in the state where people claim they have seen drones flying in the sky at night.
Evesham Township, Burlington County, received reports about drone activity on Thursday, and Walt Miller, the town's police chief, on Friday said there have been similar reports in the neighboring towns of Mount Laurel and Medford – also in Burlington County – and Cherry Hill, Camden County, CBS3 reported.
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"It is a concern amongst the community," a public information officer for Evesham Township Police told PhillyVoice on Friday. "It was an ongoing issue yesterday."
The police departments in the other municipalities have not addressed reports of drone activity, and they could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
New Jersey residents and officials have reported a number of unusual aircraft sightings, but until Thursday they had all been in the skies above counties in North Jersey. The first occurred last month.
The Morris County Prosecutor's Office reported that police had spotted the aircraft while on patrol in various parts of the county on Nov. 18. Other sightings of drones flying in clusters have since been reported in parts of Somerset, Warren and Sussex counties, NorthJersey.com reported Thursday.
The FBI has been investigating the New Jersey incidents for several weeks, officials said, and Evesham police said in a Facebook post that they are collaborating with state and federal authorities "to identify the drone operators and understand the purpose of this activity."
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he met Wednesday with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other law enforcement officials to discuss the drone activity.“We are actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter,” Murphy said.
Officials have not confirmed whether all sightings were drones or another kind of aircraft, and they said there is no known threat to public safety from the aircraft.
The FBI's office in Newark, New Jersey, said in a statement on Tuesday it is collecting information on reports from areas along the 70-mile-long Raritan River in North Jersey.
"Witnesses have spotted the cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed wing aircraft," the FBI said. "We have reports from the public and law enforcement dating back several weeks."
Clusters of suspected drones have been spotted above and near locations including Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility in Morris County, and President-elect Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster, Somerset County. The Federal Aviation Administration responded by imposing drone flight restrictions in those areas in recent weeks.
Witnesses who spoke with news outlets described the drones as being larger than the typical consumer aircraft flown by hobbyists, who are required to obtain a remote pilot certificate and a license from the FAA to fly drones. Videos of the aircraft have circulated on social media in recent weeks.
"We saw one right up above us that was the size of our car."
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 4, 2024
Mysterious drones have been spotted hovering over neighborhoods in New Jersey, leaving residents confused and concerned. The FBI is investigating and local police say there's no known threat to public safety. pic.twitter.com/iVussv4Q8D
The FAA acknowledged the investigation and flight restrictions on Friday, but did not comment on drone sightings in South Jersey.
"We look into all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate when appropriate," FAA spokesperson Cassandra Nolan said in an email Friday.
Drone pilots who operate their aircraft unsafely face fines of as much as $75,000 and the suspension or revocation of their operators' certificates, Nolan said.
The presence of the drones has raised questions about the possibility of military involvement, including activity by foreign adversaries.
In February of last year, the U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina after it had been observed flying in parts of the U.S. The balloon had been connected to an American internet service provider to send and receive communications in China, U.S. intelligence officials later determined.
Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker, who served under former President George W. Bush, called the drones above New Jersey “perplexing” during an interview on FOX News on Friday.
“I think it’s mainly a counterintelligence issue that needs to be resolved, first and foremost,” Swecker said. “There’s a military arsenal there where a considerable amount of research takes place on small arms and explosives. It’s a very important army facility. We know how aggressive the Chinese have been over the last few years with the balloons, so I’m interested in hearing more about these drones and why they’re not doing something to stop it.”
The FBI's Newark Office said it is working with New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. State police declined to comment on the investigation and referred questions to the FBI.
Evesham Police said anyone with information about the drones seen in South Jersey can contact the department's confidential tip line at 856-983-4699. The FBI directed anyone with information to call the agency at 800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.
