What’s the latest on the ‘mystery drones?’

It’s been nearly a month since mystery drone sightings began popping up across the northeast. And for the most part, observers are still left wondering when it comes to the origins of the aircraft.

“I’m pushing for answers amid these drone sightings,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D, N.Y.) on Sunday, telling reporters that it’s “remarkable” that “we have more questions than answers” despite the high frequency of sightings.

Government agencies continue to say the drones are not an active threat and that many of them appear to be “lawfully operated.” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reiterated this Monday while speaking with reporters, adding that sightings were down.

But specifics — like the exact number of sightings, whether they’re all connected, and who is behind them — remain fuzzy.

The story continues to evolve, but here’s what we know right now.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it began receiving reports of drone activity in Morris County on Nov. 18. Police began investigating that day.

Since then, sightings have been reported regularly with state officials saying there had been four to 180 drone sightings per night since mid-November (with some reports likely concerning the same drones).

The FBI told Congress earlier this week that the FBI has received over 3,000 tips from the public about drone sightings, which are mostly occurring at night.

At least some of them are.

Recently, government officials have made conflicting statements, first confirming they were monitoring the drones, then announcing many of the sightings were actually small planes, and then on Sunday reiterating that residents are in fact spotting drones.

“There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview.

There are a few calling cards to help differentiate between a plane or drone in the sky.

Experts say the way their lights are laid out and how they sound is usually different. They caution that depth perception, especially at night, can be tricky and confirmation bias is common as news of the drones spreads.

It’s also important to think about where the sighting occurred and if it’s near an airport.

Flight tracker apps, like Flightradar24, Plane Finder, and FlightView, can also be useful tools to identify registered aircraft flying overhead in live time.

» READ MORE: Is it a drone? A plane? Here’s how to tell the difference.

Drones and aircraft have reportedly been spotted across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.

In recent days, there have been alleged sightings in Ohio, near Virginia Beach, and in Massachusetts.

Drones flying around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, forced base officials to close its airspace for about four hours late Friday into early Saturday, said Robert Purtiman, a base spokesperson.

It was the first time drones had been spotted at the base, one of the largest in the world, and no sightings have been reported since, Purtiman said Monday. He said the drones had no impact on any facilities on the base.

The FBI and DHS are actively investigating in tandem with local police departments and agencies from regions impacted, including the New Jersey State Police, the Virginia National Guard, and the Massachusetts State Police.

Authorities say that while the drones might be annoying, they haven’t posed a safety threat.

Still, the growing anxiety among some Northeast residents is not lost on President Joe Biden’s administration, which has faced criticism from President-elect Donald Trump for not dealing with the matter more aggressively.

Senior officials from the FBI, Pentagon, FAA, and other agencies sought to reassure the public that the drones are not a threat or the handiwork of a malicious foreign actor in a call with reporters Saturday organized by the White House.

The White House has said a review of the reported drone sightings shows many of them are manned aircraft being flown lawfully, echoing the opinions of officials and drone experts.

In a statement released Tuesday, the FBI, DHS, and FAA echoed their previous comments that the aircraft is not dangerous.

“We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast,” the statement said.

Many remain heated and are calling for action.

Last week, a host of New Jersey and Pennsylvania officials demanded more answers. On Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy penned a letter to Biden, expressing “growing concern” about the drones and requesting more federal help and answers.

While there was no evidence the drones were a danger, Murphy said, it was “frustrating to have no answers.”

On Monday when asked by reporters what message he had for people about the drones, Murphy said people needed to “calm down.”

“There’s no evidence of anything nefarious here,” he said. “We never say never, but … take a breath.” Murphy added that drone sightings had been down in recent days, which have been rainy and cloudy in the region.

President-elect Trump and U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R., N.J.) are among those who have called for the unidentified drones to be shot down, which is illegal.

Shooting a drone is considered a federal crime. It can also be a state crime depending on where you live.

The Federal Aviation Administration says shooting any aircraft — including, but not limited to, drones — is illegal.

» READ MORE: Can you shoot a drone down?

It’s also a safety hazard. An FAA spokesperson said shooting at an aircraft could cause it to crash, collide, or fall, which could cause damage. It’s also illegal and considered extremely dangerous to shoot into the sky in general because a bullet fired into the air will eventually fall back down.

On Monday, the FBI and New Jersey State Police released a statement warning against shooting or pointing lasers at the aircraft, adding that there’s concern that someone could target what they believe to be an unmanned drone but is actually a manned aircraft.

The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety issued a list of safety guidelines for the scenario to fire departments across the state last week.

Larry Fox, deputy chief of the Mount Laurel Fire Department, said Monday that his department received the alert electronically through the fire safety division’s threat task force on Dec. 12.

There haven’t been any verified reports of large drone crashes in the state, but that doesn’t mean officials aren’t warning fire crews about the possibility.

According to Fox, the guidelines say fire crews should not approach a downed drone. Crews were advised to respond wearing protective gear, set up a safety perimeter of more than 300 feet, and contact a host of first responders immediately, Fox said. That includes local police, hazmat crews, the bomb squad, and the FBI.

Officials also told fire departments that, out of an abundance of caution, crews should prepare for the possibility of wreckage containing hazardous materials, Fox said.

The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety did not return requests for comment. It was unclear how many fire departments were given the guidelines.

» READ MORE: New Jersey is briefing fire departments on how to handle a drone crash as sightings continue

Back in 2019, the Colorado Department of Public Safety said it received more than 110 drone sighting reports from November through January 2020.

Some were said to have 6-feet wingspans — just like what DHS said of sightings in New Jersey — others were said to be small hobby drones. Some ended up being planes.

The instances were investigated, but a final report was never released. Though the public safety department said there were no instances of illegal activity. The aircraft reportedly flew over at least nine counties of eastern Colorado and western Nebraska before things fizzled out.

People with information about the drones are encouraged to call the FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online by visiting tips.fbi.gov.

Staff reporter Jesse Bunch and the Associated Press contributed to this article.

Read more about the 'mystery drones'

• What we know about the ‘car-size’ drones spotted near Trump’s New Jersey golf club
   
• The mystery drone sightings in New Jersey are spreading to Philly suburbs, prompting more questions
   
• Can you shoot a drone?
   
• Homeland Security and New Jersey State Police hold briefing on mystery drone updates
   
• White House and FBI now say New Jersey’s mysterious drones may be ‘lawful manned aircraft’ 
   
• Biden cabinet official says New Jersey residents are in fact seeing drones, and promises federal help
   
• Trump says the government is keeping people 'in suspense' about drones over N.J. and the Philly suburbs
   
• New Jersey is briefing fire departments on how to handle a drone crash as sightings continue
   
• Is it a drone? A plane? Here’s how to tell the difference.