NJ Mayors Demand Answers on Drone Sightings

(by Megan Burrow, NorthJersey .com) – A group of Morris County mayors and other local elected officials are demanding answers and action by authorities concerning the multiple sightings of drones in North Jersey in recent weeks.

A letter signed by 19 elected officials requests assistance from law enforcement agencies, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the New Jersey State Police. The letter says those agencies have taken “a reactive instead of proactive approach” to the issue.

The mysterious drone sightings began in Morris County just before Thanksgiving, and they have since been reported in Sussex, Somerset and Warren counties and other areas in North Jersey.

On Thursday, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said he had convened a briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and New Jersey State Police to discuss the sightings.

Members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation also participated in the meeting.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and are in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter,” Murphy said in a statement on X. There is no indication of any threat to public safety, he added.

But the elected officials in their letter said they believe not enough is being done to address the situation.

“We look at it this way,” they wrote. “Either higher level officials know what’s going on and are not concerned or they are negligent for not apprehending and identifying one of these drones.

“We strongly request a proactive approach be taken on the half of the residents of New Jersey and Morris County,” they wrote. “These drones have to land at some point somewhere and these offices need to follow them and identify where they are going and who owns them and is operating them.”

Residents “pay a fortune for government,” they wrote, and “right now either our government is keeping us in the dark or they are failing to act on taxpayers concerns over these unidentified drones.”

Concerned residents have posted photos of what they believe to be drones and their theories on social media about who is operating them and why they are in the area. Officials have warned that while some may be legitimate sightings, others could be cases of misidentified objects or hoaxes.

The state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and other agencies have encouraged residents to report drone sightings to local authorities.

The local officials said it was “disconcerting” to residents that the drones have not yet been identified.

[“While the benefits of drone technology are widely recognized when used responsibly and transparently, the lack of information and clarity regarding these operations has caused fear and frustration among our constituents,” the mayors wrote in their letter. “Despite inquiries made to relevant authorities, we have yet to receive satisfactory answers about the purpose, operators, or safety protocols governing these flights.”]

“We demand that either they present us with the answers or they go and get the answers but this limbo of no action is unacceptable,” they wrote.

The letter was signed by Mayor Sam Morris of Mine Hill, Mayor Ace Gallagher of Hanover, Mayor Bill Chegwidden of Wharton, Mayor Christine Glassner of Mendham, Mayor Eric Wilsusen of Jefferson Township, Mayor Jamie Barberio of Parsippany, Councilman Jim Rilee of Roxbury, Township Committee member Matt Dorsi of Long Hill Township, Township Committee member Matt Kayne of Montville, Mayor Matt Murello of Washington Township, Mayor Guy Piserchia of Long Hill Township, Mayor Janet Hoven of Chester Borough, Mayor Joe Jackson of Rockaway, Councilwoman Melissa Florance-Lynch of Pequannock, Mayor Mike Stanzilis of Mount Arlington, Mayor Paul Carelli of Riverdale, Mayor Mark Taylor of Florham Park, Mayor Tom Andes of Denville and Mayor Tim Drag of Chester Township.

“The recurring issue of unidentified drones in areas of critical military and infrastructure security, over private homes, under the cloak of darkness and at all hours of the night have raised concerns among many including residents in the 23rd legislative district,” he said in a statement. “The incomplete answers and evasive assurances given by the governor and others in authority positions have raised more questions than they have answered.”

Assembly members John DiMaio and Erik Peterson echoed the sentiments in their own letter to Murphy.

The drones were first spotted in mid-November hovering over mid- and northern New Jersey, sometimes in clusters as large as eight. Most of them are bigger than those normally used by hobbyists. They have been causing consternation for their proximity to a military base and President-Elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course. They may be the same drones that blocked a medevac helicopter from rescuing someone injured in a car accident just before Thanksgiving. The FBI and other agencies are investigating.]

Published at nj .com on Dec. 8, 2024. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.