2024 New Jersey drone sightings

2024 New Jersey drone sightings has sent New Jersey residents to turning their eyes to the skies after unidentified drones were reported in their state. On Sunday night, December 8, 2024, 49 drone sightings were observed by New Jersey residents. Not all the sightings were legitimate, said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy who spoke after a bill signing December 9 in Princeton, New Jersey. Murphy said one of the sightings was a small plane while in other instances there were multiple reports of the same objects that night. The drones were first reported on November 18. The unidentified drones have been seen flying over Picatinny Arsenal and near former President Trump's National Golf Club, Philadelphia in Pine Hill.

Murphy said the public had nothing to fear and the incident was being investigated by the FBI.

"We understand the concern, and we are doing all we can to figure out what's going on," a spokeswoman for the FBI's Newark Field Office, which is leading the investigation, told PIX11 News. "We truly don't have much information to provide at the moment." The statement was reported by Newsweek on December 10, 2024.

Residents in the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania have also viewed the drones, according to Maureen Rush a retired a 45 year peace officer veteran. Rush said most of the drones were commercial size drones seen flying in flocks. "My other concern is that there are multiple drone sightings. They're almost in a flock. If they were geese, they'd be in a flock, and that's what's really unnerving for people," she said.

US senators request drone briefings

United States Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker and Andy Kim request briefings from Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wanting to know what actions they are taking to work with federal and local agencies to determine the source of unmanned aerial system activity in both New Jersey and New York area. Gillibrand is known for her efforts in working with government agencies to determine security challenges in American airspace. She also created All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) where she said on Fox News December 12, 2024, drone witnesses can file their reports.

Senator Richard Blumenthal says drones should be shot down

“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal on December 12, 2024.

White House response

"White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He said the U.S. Coast Guard has not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels." Meanwhile Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said the drones are not US military drones.