Map Shows Where Mysterious Drones Over New Jersey Have Been Spotted

3 weeks ago 4

A map shows where the FBI is helping local authorities investigate reports of mysterious drones "the size of cars" in northern New Jersey.

Unidentified unmanned aircraft have been spotted hovering overhead in Morris and Somerset Counties, where Donald Trump's Bedminster golf course and the Picatinny Arsenal army base in Rockaway Township are located.

"Small-car sized drones," had been reported, according to NBC News presenter Hallie Jackson.

Morris County resident Julie Shavalier told NBC News: "We're all completely unnerved. "When I would get up and look out my window at 2 a.m, 4 a.m, they were still hovering. I got up at 5:30 this morning and they were still there as the sun was starting to rise. They went back in the same direction they came from, and I expect they'll be back as soon as the sun goes down tonight."

Another local, Mike Walsh, said: "We've been seeing them every night, except Thanksgiving. I guess they took the night off."

NBC correspondent Tom Winter said: "Law enforcement is concerned about this … as for the size, it's not quite clear to law enforcement if they are car-sized at this point, but they do not appear to be the type that would fit on a desk."

Newsweek has contacted Trump's team, via email, for comment.

"County and local law enforcement agencies are aware of the recurring reports of drone activity around Morris and Somerset counties, and acknowledge the public's concern about these repeated sightings," the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said in a joint statement with the FBI-Newark, New Jersey State Police and New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness on Tuesday.

It added: "The subject County Prosecutor's, Sheriff's and Emergency Management Offices, our respective municipal police departments, working in close cooperation with the FBI-Newark, the New Jersey State Police and The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, seek to reassure the public that we will continue to monitor and investigate the drone activity."

"There continues to be no known threat to public safety," it said.

Anyone with information related to the sightings has been asked to come forward to the FBI, by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submitting online via: tips.fbi.gov.

Newsweek has contacted the FBI and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, via email, for any further comment.

Drones, officially called Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), "have become popular in recent years due to their ease of use and affordability," the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness says in its threat landscape analysis of drones.

"This surge in drone usage has had a direct impact on the safety and security of the National airspace, critical infrastructure, and the public," it says, "to safeguard vital assets, strict adherence to all regulations and requirements associated with drone ownership and operation should be followed."

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