Officials in New Jersey say they’re taking mystery drone sightings, now reported in 10 counties across the state, “seriously,” with the suspicious aircraft recently confirmed to have been spotted near the state’s largest reservoir.
The reason for the drones’ presence near the Round Valley Reservoir in Hunterdon County, near the Garden State’s border with Pennsylvania, is unclear, according to NJ.com.
Similarly unclear are any potential connections to other drones spotted in the recent onslaught of suspicious activity that’s taken the state by storm, the outlet continues.
The drone sighting near the reservoir wasn’t the only recent one in Hunterdon County – another was reported near its 911 Center in Flemington.
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“There have been reports of single drones hovering over people’s houses for hours at a time,” Hunterdon County Commissioner John Lanza noted at a Tuesday board meeting. “Other reports say the drones are often clustered together in groups as big as eight.”
“We are taking these sightings seriously,” Hunterdon County Director of Public Safety and OEM Coordinator Brayden Fahey said, noting that officials are “working closely with federal authorities to investigate and address any concerns.”
The drones were reportedly first seen over Morris County, New Jersey – whose border sits approximately two miles north of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster – in mid-November, according to Patch.
Fox News Digital previously reported that the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed an “unusual drone” was spotted in the skies of northern and central New Jersey on Nov. 18.
Since then, drones have been spotted regularly across the state. They’ve been seen nightly in some areas, and are occasionally reported traveling in groups, Patch continues.
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More recently, drone sightings were also reported on Staten Island.
“We have recently been made aware of large, military-style drones flying over parts of New Jersey during the past few weeks,” Borough President Vito Fossella wrote in a letter to the FBI and FAA. “It has also come to our attention from concerned residents and within the media that these drones have now been flying over Staten Island during the past few days.”
Fossella also called it “odd and quite bizarre” that “who is flying these drones, where they are coming from, and their purpose” remains unclear.
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Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. – who represents the borough in Congress – announced Friday that she has requested temporary restrictions on drone flights in the area.
Similar restrictions were imposed by the FAA following the New Jersey sightings – one involving the airspace over the Trump property, set to expire at the end of this week; another, affecting Picatinny Arsenal, an Army research center, will remain in place until Dec. 26.
An FBI-led investigation into the matter has been launched, with Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., confirming via X that he has convened a briefing with state and federal Homeland Security officials, including Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, state police, and the state’s congressional delegation.
Murphy also assured that “there is no known threat to the public at this time.”
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