Crashed Drones Cause Alarm Across New Jersey as Residents Call for Immediate Action

Reports of a drone crash in New Jersey sparked a widespread search for the wreckage — further increasing the anxiety of residents in the Garden State who have been dealing with swarms of the unmanned aircraft hovering over the skies for weeks.On Friday, a drone was reported to have crashed the night before in a field located near a Lowe’s home improvement store at Hillsborough, New Jersey sparking a search by local police and fire departments into the next day as onlookers gathered, according to New Jersey 101.5. As of Friday afternoon, the wreckage had not been found.Meanwhile, a toy drone crashed in one Morris County town on Thursday, setting off a wave of panic.The recreational unmanned drone plummeted from the sky into the backyard of one homeowner around 9 p.m. at Pequannock Township, leaving locals rattled.“Holy s— just heard a police report that a lady saw a drone crash behind the power line behind her house and 10 more drones showed up,” one commenter on a post said about the incident on the “UFO’s” subreddit.The incident even had Pequannock’s mayor, Ryan Herd, racing to the scene of the crash to get to the bottom of the mysterious sightings.“Nobody knows whose drones are flying over us and what they’re flying over us for and where they’re taking off and landing,” he said. “Drones are flying over our houses, which is our private property. My family is here,” Pequannock Township is located in leafy Morris County where many of the sightings have occurred. “Last night, an investigation was conducted into a drone that came down in Pequannock Township in a residential area,” the Pequannock police captain, Robert Brown, said in a statement to The New York Sun. “The investigation revealed the drone to be a hobby or toy type drone, not a large commercial or military grade drone.”The drone sightings have appeared to spread down the Eastern Seaboard, even spooking Governor Hogan of Maryland, who posted on X a video he took of a swarm of drones over his home“Last night, beginning at around 9:45 pm, I personally witnessed (and videoed) what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence in Davidsonville, Maryland (25 miles from our nation’s capital). I observed the activity for approximately 45 minutes,” Mr. Hogan wrote.“Like many who have observed these drones, I do not know if this increasing activity over our skies is a threat to public safety or national security,” he added. “People are rightfully clamoring for answers, but aren’t getting any. The lack of answers behind the sightings leading some to say they will take matters into their own hands.”In a recent video shared on Facebook that shows “SUV-size drones” hovering over Island Beach State Park at Ocean County, New Jersey, commentators fired off a barrage of comments that the unmanned aircraft need to be shot down from the sky.A good shotgun will fix that problem,” reads one comment. “Why hasn’t anyone shot one down to look for a serial number to trace it back to the operator,” wrote another commenter. “I would think that could provide a clue.”Their sentiment is shared with Governor Murphy of New Jersey, along with two Republican congress members who recently called on Federal officials to shoot down the drones.“The feds have that authority, and I’d like to see them play a more robust role. I wouldn’t be opposed to that. Let me put it that way,” Gov. Murphy said in an interview with WNYC Radio. “I want folks out there to know — listen, you’re frustrated. So are we. But… we’re going to stay at it, I promise you, this is our top priority.” “But based on everything we know, we don’t see any evidence of a risk to public safety. And clearly, and that’s largely based on the feds’ input. If that changes, we will shout it from the mountaintop.”The unmanned aircraft have been spotted over multiple locations for nearly a month, prompting speculation on social media and government officials downplaying the public’s concern.On Thursday, officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Biden Administration all raised doubts about the legitimacy of the sightings and that they pose no threat to national security.“[I]t appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully,” reads a joint statement from Homeland Security and the FBI, saying that the sightings were likely of planes or helicopters.“Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities.”Both agencies also said there is no threat to the public and no evidence that the aircraft are of foreign origin.Also on Thursday, a National Security Council Spokesman, Rear Admiral John Kirby, echoed their sentiments during a White House press briefing.“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,” Rear Admiral Kirby said, adding that the government has been unable to “corroborate any of the reported visual sightings” and that “Many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft being operated lawfully.”On Wednesday, state lawmakers attended a briefing with the New Jersey State Police, who said they have tried to track the drones with manned helicopters but were unable to identify the drones. “What they told us was they know nothing, legitimately nothing,” a state assemblyman, Brian Bergen, said to the New York Times. “Who’s doing it, what they’re doing? They know nothing.”At least ten counties across New Jersey and parts of New York City have reported multiple drone sightings since mid-November, with some eyewitnesses saying that the drones were the size of small vehicles. The sightings have also occurred over sensitive areas, including reservoirs, powerlines, and rail stations. They have also appeared over military research facility Picatinny Arsenal at Wharton, New Jersey, and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

Crashed Drones Cause Alarm Across New Jersey as Residents Call for Immediate Action

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