Something very strange is happening in the skies over New Jersey, leaving everyone – from the residents to the police to the FBI – confused about what they are witnessing.

A state lawmaker briefed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday confirmed reports of large, mysterious drones flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks, but said they appeared to be avoiding traditional detection methods, such as radio and helicopters.

The drone sightings began on November 18, according to New Jersey State Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, and have been spotted almost every night, with between four and 180 sighting reports per night.

In a Long post to XFantasia described the drones as being up to six feet in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights off.

The Morris County Republican was among several state and local lawmakers who met with state police and Homeland Security officials to discuss the spate of sightings that range from the New York City area across New Jersey and west to parts of Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia.

Devices Amateurs don’t seem to fly itFantasia wrote, adding that most of the drones spotted appear to be larger than amateur aircraft.

“We don’t know anything. “Period,” Fantasia wrote, after a briefing at New Jersey State Police headquarters on Wednesday. He added: “To say that there is no known or credible threat is very misleading, and I have communicated this feeling to all officials.”

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

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In a Posting on social media State officials are “actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners,” Murphy said last week.

Fantasia added in her post that she believes “military intervention is the only way forward.”

Drones have been reported to have been in the sky for up to seven hours, traveling distances of at least 24 km. Officials trying to track them report that they almost immediately “disappear” when surveillance efforts are made.

The ambiguous situation is puzzling residents and lawmakers alike, and has raised growing security concerns.

“I’m legitimately concerned about What the hell is happening? “No one knows,” State Assemblyman Brian Bergen told CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey after Wednesday’s briefing.

“We’ve been invaded by drones. We have No idea who does this And where they come from,” Pequannock Mayor Ryan Herb told the station.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican from New Jersey, shared a baseless claim to Fox News that The drones were from a “mother ship” from Iran This is “off the east coast of the USA.”

But the Pentagon denied the allegation, and Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told CNN that “there’s no truth to it.”

There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, but there is There is no such thing as motherhood Launching drones towards the United States.”

A spokesman for the US Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, acknowledged that one of its assets had encountered drones.

“Multiple planes at low altitudes “She was spotted near one of our vessels near Island Beach State Park,” Coast Guard Lt. Luke Pineo told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

He said the drones did not interfere with operations and were not considered a direct threat.

Part of the concern stems from flying objects that were initially spotted near Picatinny Arsenal, a US military research and manufacturing facility; And on President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use, but are subject to local and federal aviation regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified.

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

However, DHS officials have been generous with their time, Peterson said He seemed dismissive of some of the concernsSaying that not all reported sightings have been confirmed to be related to drones.

So who or what is behind the flying objects? Where did they come from? What are they doing? “My understanding is that they have no idea,” Peterson told the Associated Press.

In October, it emerged that military personnel witnessed a mysterious fleet of drones over a swath of land at Langley Air Force Base along Virginia Beach for 17 days in a row late last year. The drones will appear in the sky about 45 minutes to an hour after sunset each night.

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The US Army releases a video of a Russian aircraft intercepting an MQ-9 Reaper drone

Former Air Force General Mark Kelly was first informed of the sighting of the drones in December 2023, according to the American “space” website. The report is detailed first By The Wall Street Journal. They appeared for 17 straight days, with Pentagon officials suspecting they may have been deployed by Chinese or Russian agents to spy on the US military.

But because the drones did not pose an imminent threat, and officials at the time were unsure whether they were being used for nefarious purposes or perhaps just errant amateurs, the military was prohibited from shooting them down, citing the potential risks to troops. And civilians.

The White House has met with the Department of Defense, the FBI and the Pentagon’s UFO Office, as well as outside experts, to discuss what to do about the mysterious formations, but there are several solutions, including launching nets to catch drones and using electronic signals to jam. Their navigation systems also didn’t make the cut.

— With files from The Associated Press

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