New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said Monday that residents are understandably “frustrated” by the continued lack of answers about mysterious drone sightings in the state.
Murphy addressed the issue in a response to Fox News Digital, saying that both state and federal authorities have seen no reason to believe the drones pose a threat to public safety. Nevertheless, he said he has little to no information about what the drones are or why they appear.
“I don’t blame people for being frustrated,” Murphy said. “I have to say most importantly, we don’t see — and when I say this includes homeland security, the FBI, the Secret Service and our state police — we don’t see any concern for public safety.”
“That said, it’s really frustrating that we don’t have more answers about where they come from and why they do what they do. We had 49 sightings last night,” Murphy said, clarifying that some reports may be incorrect or overlapping.
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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy says the drones spotted over his state are “highly sophisticated.” (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
‘I spent almost all day yesterday dealing with the leadership of the White House and Homeland Security, literally at the top. I hope we get answers as soon as possible. “I just want to encourage people to continue to allow the FBI or their local police to know when they see something,” he added.
Murphy went on to say that he understands the drones are “very sophisticated,” and that they often “go dark” once spotted.
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He said authorities are most concerned about sensitive targets and critical infrastructure, noting that the state has both utilities and military assets. He also noted that President-elect Trump has a home in New Jersey.
“This is something we take deadly seriously. We’ve had good cooperation from the FBI, but we need more, and that was my plea,” Murphy said.
Drone sighting map of New Jersey (Fox & Friends/Screen Recording)
The drones were reportedly first spotted over Morris County, New Jersey in mid-November. Since then, drones have been spotted regularly in the Garden State, including a recent uptick in Middlesex County and other areas.
“The FBI Newark, the NJ State Police and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness are asking the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in various areas along the Raritan River,” the FBI said in a statement on December 3.
“Witnesses observed the cluster of what appeared to be drones and a possible fixed-wing aircraft,” the statement continued. “We have reports from the public and law enforcement going back several weeks.”
The drone was spotted over North Jersey on Tuesday. (Nicholas Lordi)
The drones have been spotted in some areas at night, sometimes traveling in groups.
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Drone sightings have also been recently reported on Staten Island New York.
