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New Jersey Drones - 2024

In an interview with Fox News on 11 December 2024, US congressman Jeff Van Drew said “high-ranking sources” had informed him that “Iran was behind the drones. “That mothership… is off the East Coast of the United States of America. They’ve launched drones into everything that we can see or hear,” he said. Congressman Van Drew told Fox News on December 10 that “First, a Chinese spy balloon drifted across U.S. airspace for a week. Now, unidentified drones are flying over New Jersey, avoiding radar detection. Gaps in our airspace are being exploited, and because of it, the safety of Americans is at risk.”

"I'm also on the transportation committee on the aviation subcommittee and I've gotten people and from very high sources very qualified sources uh very responsible sources I'm going to tell you the real deal um Iran launched a mother ship probably about a month ago that contains these drones that mothership is off I'm going to tell you the deal it's off the east coast of the United States of America they've launched drones everything that we can see or here and again these are from high sources."

Congressman Jeff Van Drew noted 11 December 2024 "What we’ve uncovered is alarming—drones flying in from the direction of the ocean, possibly linked to a missing Iranian mothership. This is a national security crisis we cannot ignore. Bring them down now. ... First, a Chinese spy balloon drifted across U.S. airspace for a week. Now, unidentified drones are flying over New Jersey, avoiding radar detection. Gaps in our airspace are being exploited, and because of it, the safety of Americans is at risk.... Here's the deal. They don't know what it is. They don't know what it's about. They haven't taken one down to analyze it. They have no idea where it came from. We are not being told the truth".

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote: "It’s a slap in the face that the Pentagon continues to tell the American people they don’t know who is flying the drones over New Jersey. I think the Pentagon absolutely knows, but they’re full of crap. And if they actually don’t know, these officials should resign in disgrace. Luckily, in just a few more weeks, we will have people in charge who can tell us what this is."

Republican Tony Gonzales called the situation “madness” at a Congress hearing on Tuesday in Washington, DC after Robert Wheeler, the FBI assistant director, told Congress at a hearing focusing on the drone case, that the agency did not have any answers on who is behind the flights. “The bureau is actively investigating the situation….we do not attribute that [the drones] to an individual or a group yet. But I don’t have an answer of who’s responsible…,” Wheeler said.

In the United States, a string of unexplained drone sightings over the state of New Jersey has raised security concerns. The Pentagon has said it had no evidence of foreign or enemy activity. The FBI was investigating. The drones have been spotted flying over critical infrastructure such as US military research facilities and police departments.

The night skies over New Jersey have come alight as dozens of mystery drones have been spotted flying over the state, including near United States President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in the town of Bedminster. The drones, which some residents say appear larger than hobbyist drones – those used for recreational purposes – have been spotted almost every night flying over the northeastern US state since November 18 and were initially sighted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a US military research and manufacturing facility.

In a post on Facebook on December 4, cautioning residents of Florham Park, a borough in New Jersey, about the drones, chief of police Joseph Orlando wrote: “Over the past two weeks, the (drone) sightings have been occurring nightly…beginning just after sunset and lasting well into the early morning hours.” He described the appearance of the drones as “nefarious in nature”. He also noted that the drones are flying above critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, train stations, police departments and military installations.

On December 5, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy wrote on social media platform X, that “there is no known threat to the public at this time.” He stated "I convened a briefing with @SecMayorkas, senior officials from @DHSgov, @NJOHSP, and @NJSP, and members of our congressional delegation to discuss reported drone activity over parts of North and Central New Jersey. We are actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter."

Then on 09 December 2024, Murphy told local media that the number of sightings had increased in December. He said there were 49 sightings of drones over the state on December 8 alone. But he added that some sightings might have been duplicates. But some residents including New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, continue to be on edge. “We know nothing. PERIOD. To state that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I informed all officials of that sentiment,” she wrote on X. At the moment, no one in the US, including the Pentagon and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been able to answer this question.

Following a meeting with state police and Homeland Security officials on 11 December 2024, Assemblywoman Fantasia wrote on X that the drones appeared large (up to 1.8 metres – 6ft – in diameter) and were operating in an “uncoordinated manner”. She added that they sometimes travel with their lights turned off, making them difficult to detect and are flying in an unrestricted airspace. “(They) appear to avoid detection by traditional methods (e.g., helicopters, radio frequencies),” she wrote on X.

The FAA states that all drones flown at night should be equipped with “anti-collision lights visible from at least three statute miles”. Fantasia added that at the meeting, authorities noted that the drones fly for “extended periods (6-7 hours) and over a distance of 15 miles (24km)”, prompting further questions about the drones’ technology and intent.

While US Federal authorities scramble for answers about where the drones have been launched from and what their purpose is, residents in New Jersey have been posting videos of the drone sightings on social media.

However, deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news briefing in Washington, DC, on 11 December 2024: “There is absolutely no truth to that. “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States,” she said. She added that, according to the Pentagon’s initial assessment, the drones have not been launched by any “foreign entity”.

Guided by the Department of Defense Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems signed by the Secretary of Defense on December 2, 2024, the Commander, U.S. Northern Command will serve as the lead synchronizer for Homeland Counter small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (HC-sUAS) Department of Defense operations in the Continental United States and Alaska as designated by the Secretary of Defense. The role enables USNORTHCOM to align and focus various DOD HC-sUAS efforts into a cohesive approach to include synchronizing, integrating, and coordinating efforts within its area of responsibility. This involves preparing to conduct counter-sUAS operations, establishing and maintaining a response plan, and tracking and responding to sUAS incidents. USNORTHCOM will also develop and maintain a laydown of counter-UAS equipment and its availability and assist military services with counter-sUAS training. Ultimately, the mission ensures support to the Military Departments and other DOD components in the protection of installations, facilities, sites, and assets.

At the operational level, USNORTHCOM maintains relationships with federal partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Aviation Administration, which allows the command to streamline response procedures and share information. While the military services and installation commanders will retain the responsibility of providing force protection for their installations, facilities, sites, and assets, USNORTHCOM can coordinate the availability of technology to installations or agencies requesting assistance.

USNORTHCOM stated 11 December 2024 "We are aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey to include Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, and we refer you to those installations for information on any efforts they are may be conducting to ensure the safety and security of their personnel and operations. Local law enforcement and the FBI are currently investigating.

U.S. Northern Command conducted a deliberate analysis of the events, in consultation with other military organizations and interagency partners, and at this time we have not been requested to assist with these events. If these incidents require additional DoD assistance, the Secretary of the Military Department or relevant DoD component head concerned can coordinate with USNORTHCOM for an enhanced or increased response. USNORTHCOM, in conjunction with our interagency partners, will continue to assess further information and is prepared to respond when asked or should the situation escalate to threaten any DoD installations."

On December 12, 2024, the FBI and DHS jointly issued a statement on reported drone sightings in New Jersey: “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The FBI, DHS and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.

“Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities. We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space. 

“We take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports. To be clear, they have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage. While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities."

"We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they’re working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources, using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin.

"Using very sophisticated electronic detection technologies provided by federal authorities, we have not been able to — and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities — corroborate any of the reported visual sightings. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.

"The United States Coast Guard is providing support to the State of New Jersey and has confirmed that there is no evidence of any foreign-based involvement from coastal vessels. And, importantly, there are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace.

"Now, that said, we certainly take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems, which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports, even though they have uncovered no malicious activity or intent at this particular stage.

"While there is no known malicious activity occurring, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight a gap in authorities. And so, we urge Congress to pass important legislation that will extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities so that we are better prepared to identify and mitigate any potential threats to airports or other critical infrastructure and so that state and local authorities are provided all the tools that they need to respond to such threats as well."

The Department of Justice strongly supported the Administration’s legislative proposal to extend and expand legal authorities to protect against illicit use of unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”). The two pillars of this counter-UAS (“C-UAS”) proposal are expanding federal protective coverage for the most vulnerable sites—such as airports and critical infrastructure—and empowering state, local, tribal, and territorial (“SLTT”) law enforcement partners to engage in C-UAS efforts nationwide, subject to restrictions and oversight. The Administration’s proposal would expand the current § 124n authority in targeted ways based on our experience under the law and our assessment of the growing threat. Current § 124n authority would lapse, so existing programs must be reauthorized to avoid shutting down FBI’s ability to protect mass gatherings.

Notably, the “detection-only” technology that this part of the bill would authorize would not include authority to mitigate the drone through jamming or to otherwise disrupt drones or other aircraft. Rather, the information obtained through detection of drone signals can disclose the location of the drone operator, so that law enforcement or security personnel can locate that operator and address the threat through more traditional means.

DOJ and DHS could designate annually up to 12 SLTT law enforcement entities to engage in both UAS detection and UAS mitigation activities, consistent with the safeguards and oversight required in the bill. Those entities would be required to receive appropriate training and vetting to enable them to both detect and mitigate UAS threats to covered facilities or assets, including mass gatherings. Because these operations could include use of more sensitive mitigation technology, all of their activities would have to be coordinated in advance with federal partners including the FAA.