Homeland Security and New Jersey State Police hold briefing on mystery drone updates

A meeting between elected officials and law enforcement Wednesday about the mystery drones flying over parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York revealed new details about the aircraft — including how they avoid being detected. But it also exposed the lack of information known about who is behind the surge in flights.

The large drones, which have been described in some sightings as “car-size,” are at times as long as 6 feet in diameter and operate in a coordinated manner, sometimes with their lights off.

That has made the aircraft hard to detect with traditional methods, such as helicopters and radio frequencies, according to New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who was among the lawmakers at the briefing and who documented the details in a lengthy post on X.

President Joe Biden and the White House have also been briefed on the drone reports as of this week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.

The lack of information surrounding the drones and their origins continues to have elected officials and residents on edge. At least 20 mayors and several other elected officials have expressed concern, including U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.), who is running for New Jersey governor next year, and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.).

» READ MORE: The mystery drone sightings in New Jersey are spreading to Philly suburbs, prompting more questions

On Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R., N.J.) released a statement calling for the drones to be shot down, which is illegal and the Federal Aviation Administration warns against. Van Drew also sent a letter to Biden citing unconfirmed reports that foreign adversaries were behind the drones.

But in her recap of the security briefing, Fantasia wrote that it remains unclear who is behind the drone flights.

“We know nothing, PERIOD,” Fantasia wrote. “To state that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I informed all officials of that sentiment.”

She added that only federal intervention is allowed.

“State authorities, including the New Jersey State Police, are shackled with what they are able to do,” she continued. “Any interception or takedown of any UAS [unmanned aircraft system] is under the strict jurisdiction of the federal government. … At this point, I believe military intervention is the only path forward.”

The devices do not appear to be flown by hobbyists and most of the drones spotted recently have been larger than what hobbyists typically use.

Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use, but they are subject to local and FAA regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA-certified. When the pattern of drone sightings began, the FAA placed temporary flying restrictions on areas near President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course and the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility. The agency has since added a third restriction, in Staten Island, N.Y.

» READ MORE: What we know about the ‘car-sized’ drones spotted near Trump’s New Jersey golf club

The number of sightings has increased in recent days, though officials say many of the objects may have been planes rather than drones. It’s also possible that a single drone has been reported more than once.

Gov. Phil Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones do not appear to threaten public safety. The FBI has been investigating and has asked residents to share any videos, photos, or other information they may have.

Many municipal lawmakers have called for more restrictions on who is entitled to fly the unmanned devices. At least one state lawmaker proposed a temporary ban on drone flights in the state.

“This is something we’re taking deadly seriously. I don’t blame people for being frustrated,” Murphy said earlier this week. A spokesperson for the Democratic governor said he did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Republican Assemblyman Erik Peterson, whose district includes parts of the state where the drones have been reported, said he attended Wednesday’s meeting at a state police facility in West Trenton. The session lasted for about 90 minutes.

Peterson said DHS officials were generous with their time but appeared dismissive of some concerns, saying not all the sightings reported have been confirmed to involve drones.

“So who or what is behind the flying objects? Where are they coming from? What are they doing? My understanding is they have no clue,” Peterson said.

Most of the drones have been spotted along coastal areas, and some were recently reported flying over a large reservoir in Clinton.

On Enigma, an app where users can share accounts of and upload videos of UFO sightings, developers noted a spike in reports in areas where drone sightings have occurred.

Users on Enigma populated a self-reported map documenting 24 sightings in the last two weeks across the region.

James Edwards of Succasunna, N.J., said he has seen a few drones flying over his neighborhood since last month.

“It raises concern mainly because there’s so much that’s unknown,” Edwards said Wednesday. “There are lots of people spouting off about various conspiracies that they believe are in play here, but that only adds fuel to the fire unnecessarily. We need to wait and see what is really happening here, not let fear of the unknown overtake us.”

This article contains information from the Associated Press.