Large mysterious drones spotted over NJ neighborhoods
Daily News Article — Posted on December 9, 2024
DID YOU KNOW? – It is a federal crime for a person to shoot down a drone, even over your own property.
(by Tina Kelley, NJ .com) – 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. The FBI said it requested the restrictions “out of an abundance of caution.”
Here’s what we know about the drone sighting so far:
On Nov. 18, police began investigating reports of large numbers of drones hovering at night in Morris County in northern New Jersey.
Reports have been filed with police about drones in [multiple municipalities] 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.”
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.
The FBI confirmed last week it is investigating the sightings.
Local law enforcement officials said the drones are not a threat to residents.
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.”
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.
Shooting down a drone is a federal crime and can be dangerous to those in the area, drone experts say.
Published at nj .com on Dec. 5, 2024 and updated Dec. 7. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
Questions
1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)
2. a) How have law enforcement explained the frequent multiple drone sightings in NJ neighborhoods (as well as over reservoirs, a military arsenal and the Trump golf course in NJ?
b) The reporter writes in paragraph 16: "Local law enforcement officials said the drones are not a threat to residents." What is your response to this assurance?
3. a) The FBI is taking the lead in the investigation of the ongoing drone sightings. What progress have they made in their investigation? What are they doing about the numerous drones flying at night throughout NJ?
b) What is your reaction to the FBI spokeswoman's comments?
4. What factors are most concerning about the drones?
5. List 3 theories as to who is operating the drones.
6. a) What does Prof. Pramod Abichandani at NJIT believe to be the explanation?
b) If true, why not let the public know tests are being conducted to alleviate fears? What do you think?
7. If the FBI is unable to disable/capture/stop the mysterious drones, should a new government agency or the military take over? What do you think of the apparent helplessness of the FBI in finding the drone operators or the motive for the drone flights?
8. Reader comments include:
- "Not sure why it's such a mystery. The feds can know pretty easily everything about the drones (and they most likely do know). The silence is what's puzzling."
- "More like China spies getting intel on our fuel depots."
- "NJ Gov. Murphy says don’t worry. It’s nothing. But he doesn’t know what they are."
- "If they know that the drones "pose no threat" then answer who owns them and what they are doing. If they don't know then they should shoot them down and collect them. Maybe they should use the manpower used to track the assassin that killed the CEO of Untied Health Care. This seems like a security risk. Get your best people on this right away."
- "Where is our 4 trillion dollar air force to shoot these things down? Air Force and Pentagon are quiet because they know who's flying these things. Second all drones give off unique digital squawk to identify them. Its like an ip address."
- "These drones could be identified with a good, clear night vision photograph. Drones of this size are probably US military, and it would take several well-trained operators to control them...also likely US military. Their mission...anyone's guess."
Background
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.
Is it legal to fly a drone at night?
The law is complicated, and depends on multiple factors, including: 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,” Prof. Pramod Abichandani of NJIT said. “But how many people actually follow that is a different question.”
Can people shoot down drones?
NO. 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. (from the nj .com article above)