(NewsNation) — The crux of the federal probe into mysterious drone sightings in recent weeks has centered around the skies over New Jersey and New York, but the flying objects controlled by unknown operators have become a global phenomenon.
In the United States, the FBI insists that the drones do not belong to the U.S. military and are also not the property of foreign governments. But as lawmakers and residents push for more government transparency and answers about what these objects are, the number of places sightings have taken place continues to grow.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the DHS, FBI, FAA and DoD said in a joint statement Dec. 16.
Mid-Atlantic region
In New Jersey, two of the sightings creating the biggest buzz involved those in sensitive areas, including Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility in Morris County, in the northeastern part of the state.
President-elect Donald Trump’s Trump National Golf Club, located in Bedminster — 40 miles west of New York City — has also been the site of drone sightings, WJAR reported.
In a social media post, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, R-N.J., wrote that the drones spotted in her state measured up to 6 feet in diameter and sometimes traveled with their lights off.
Fantasia said that the first sightings took place Nov. 18 and have continued every night since. She said the reported sightings typically occur between 6 and 11 p.m. and reports range between four and 180 sightings per night.
She estimates that there are typically an average of 92 sightings per night and that conservatively, 2,500 sightings have been reported since they began.
Two lawmakers representing the Jersey Shore region of the state reported that a dozen drones were spotted near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park, which are located in Ocean County. In those cases, WJAR reported the drones were seen following a U.S. Coast Guard lifeboat.
A Coast Guard spokesperson told WJAR that “multiple low-altitude aircraft” were reported near one of the Coast Guard’s boats.
According to the WJAR report, drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use. However, they are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations. Drone operators must be FAA-certified, the report said.
New Jersey lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, have expressed concern and frustration over the federal government’s lack of transparency on the issue.
“We need to know what’s going on over our skies,” Booker said, according to WJAR.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he does not believe the drone sightings pose any threat. However, Murphy’s office announced Dec. 13 that it has contacted President Joe Biden about concerns over unmanned aircraft systems in and around New Jersey airspace.
In the letter, Murphy wrote that more federal resources should be devoted to the matter since state and local law enforcement in his state are limited in dealing with unmanned aircraft systems.
Another lawmaker, Sen. Andy Kim, reported seeing drones while on patrol with local law enforcement. Kim said he witnessed white, red and green lights appearing in groups of five to seven at a time.
Kim wrote in a series of social media posts that he knew the lights were not associated with aircraft because the objects did not appear on the FlightAware tracker.
In New York City, residents in the Bronx and Queens have reported seeing multiple drones as well as sightings being reported over LaGuardia Airport, The New York Daily News reported Dec. 13.
The New York City Emergency Management Department said in a social media post that it has not received any official reports of drone activity, but is aware of the reports of the sightings near the airport.
The report indicated that the drones took off once police reported on the scene in the Bronx. Police also reported that sightings had taken place on Staten Island.
Stewart International Airport was forced to close its runways for about an hour after drone activity was reported in the area.
NewsNation affiliate WPIX reported that drone sightings were reported by the FAA. The runways reopened an hour later and officials said that no flights were affected by the closures.
In Maryland, residents in Bowie have released videos of drone sightings to local media organizations.
Autumn Stasulli and her family told NewsNation affiliate DC News Now they were out looking at Christmas lights when they spotted flashing red and green lights. She said she saw between three and five drones the size of SUVs that were making loud noises.
She told the station that there were “just drones all over the place.”
She added that it appeared that military jets were in pursuit of the drones and that she was concerned about where the aircraft may be coming from.
In a social media post, Gov. Larry Hogan reported that he witnessed dozens of large drones Dec. 12 at night over his home in Davidsonville, which is located 25 miles outside of Washington, D.C. Hogan wrote that the drone activity lasted about 45 minutes.
Connecticut State Sen. Tony Hwang said that sightings were reported last week near a train station in Fairfield, prompting concerns among local officials and residents.
Hwang said at a news conference that he is frustrated with a lack of transparency from federal officials and fears that without information, residents will take matters into their own hands. He also said that the lack of answers from federal agencies like the FBI has “tied the hands” of local law enforcement agencies who cannot act without knowing what is happening.
Meanwhile, in Boston, two men were arrested Dec. 14 for flying a drone near Logan International Airport, Boston police said.
Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, were charged with trespassing, and police said in a statement that more fines or charges could come pending further investigation.
A Boston police officer detected an “unmanned aircraft system” operating “dangerously close” to the airport.
Southeast
Residents in South Florida have reported seeing what they say are drones, similar to the ones being spotted in New Jersey.
People living in the Treasure Coast, Florida, and West Palm Beach County have reported seeing the drones, according to NBC 5.
Alex Rodriguez Torres told WPTV that he spotted what he said was the outline of a circular object that he said was a drone. Rebecca Landerman from Palm Beach County told the station that she believed she saw multiple drones while driving on the Florida Turnpike north of Port St. Lucie.
“It’s just like this ominous presence,” Landerman told the station. “Which is not a comfortable feeling.”
Midwest
Residents in Northfield, Minnesota — located south of Minneapolis-St. Paul — reported seeing mysterious flashing lights over the night sky.
Deborah Wagner and her daughter told Fox 9 the lights were hard to track.
“We started trying to follow them, but they just won’t be followed,” Wagner said, adding that the lights just seemed to disappear.
Her daughter, Chrissy Grady, tried to capture video of the orbs with her cellphone, and the video showed the objects hovering before disappearing.
“Are those UFOs? Are they a government thing?” Grady asked.
The airspace over Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, was forced to close for hours due to drone activity being reported in the area.
Officials at Wright-Patterson confirmed its airspace was closed for four hours on Dec. 13 at night and early Dec. 14 because of small unmanned aerial systems being spotted in the vicinity.
The shutdown meant that no airplanes were allowed in and out of the base. Wright-Patterson’s officials did not divulge the altitude at which the systems were flying, but they said they ranged in different shapes and sizes.
“Installation leadership has determined none of the incursions impacted our base, our residents, our facilities or our assets,” Wright-Patterson Public Affairs Chief Robert Purtiman said.
More drones have been seen around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, NewsNation local affiliate WDTN reported.
Described as “small unmanned aerial systems,” the flying devices have now been seen around Wright-Patterson’s Areas A and B during the night of Dec. 16 and the morning of Dec. 17.
“The number of systems has fluctuated, and they have ranged in sizes and configurations,” said Wright-Patterson. “Our units continue to monitor the airspace and are working with local law enforcement authorities and mission partners to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities and assets.”
On Dec. 16, officials with Hill Air Force Base confirmed that unmanned drones were flying near the base but assured the public that the “appropriate measures” were being taken.
“We can confirm that unmanned aerial systems were spotted in the vicinity of Hill AFB recently,” the base said in a statement provided to NewsNation local affiliate KTVX.
According to the statement, the base’s operations were not being impacted by the unmanned systems that were spotted near the base. The statement also said the base is taking the necessary steps to protect its personnel, infrastructure, and assets.
“We continue to monitor the airspace and are working with local authorities to track the unmanned aerial systems,” the base said in the statement. “To safeguard operational security, we do not discuss specific force protection measures, however we retain the right to protect our installations.”
West Coast
Similar sightings have been reported in southern California, where residents spotted seeing colored lights.
Colin Rambo, who lives outside San Diego in Lemon Grove, told CBS 8 that he witnessed seeing “a bunch of red lights floating in the sky.” Rambo told the television station that he was driving when he saw what he called a fleet of “red glowing orbs.”
Over five minutes, Rambo reported seeing at least 25 of the orbs.
In Temecula, which is located in southern California’s wine country in Riverside County, residents reported seeing large drones hovering over the community.
One resident said the objects were the size of a car.
They’ll be going just straight one direction, and then, just all of a sudden, they’ll just zig or zag and keep going, or turn around, and just break really quick,” the man said.
Local sheriff’s officials said the drones did not belong to the department.
Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base north of San Diego, told the station it had received several reports of drone sightings from local residents. A spokesman for the base told CBS 8 that the base did not have any drone activity planned when the sightings took place.
More drone sightings were reported in Escondido, California after a TikTok posting announcing that drones had arrived in North County San Diego garnered more than 100,000 views. The man who posted the video said that he spotted three drones, according to NewsNation affiliate KUSI.
Other drone sightings have taken place in Orange County, where residents in Aliso Viejo reported seeing drones. Other reports came from residents in Redondo Beach and the San Fernando Valley.
International
Unidentified drones have also been spotted over four Royal Air Force bases in England, which has prompted the British government to request military assistance, the U.S. Air Force said.
Air Force officials said that “small” drones continued to be spotted in and around the four British military installations since Nov. 20. None of the activities interrupted base operations, officials said.
In a statement, the Air Force said that the objects have ranged in size and configurations and that the U.S. Air Force is working with host-nation officials and mission partners to endure base personnel.
Reuters reported that drones have also been spotted at the U.S. Air Force base at Ramstein in Germany this month. Sources told Reuters that German officials have not determined who is operating the drones. They had, however, ruled out the possibility that the drones were operated by amateurs.
NewsNation’s Damita Menezes contributed to this report.