What we know about the mysterious drones buzzing over New Jersey

Mystery continues to swirl after nearly a month of drone sightings over New Jersey and other US states, alarming some residents.

US authorities have been unable to provide definitive answers, saying only that the objects are not believed to pose a danger to the public or national security.

On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed the sightings included drones, as well as manned aircraft commonly mistaken for drones.

He added that he knows of “no foreign involvement” to do with the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Some lawmakers have criticised the government’s handling of the drone reports and the lack of public information.

Here’s what we know.

Dozens of drone sightings have been reported over New Jersey since 18 November, but others have been reported elsewhere, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia.

Some of the flights were spotted near Picatinny Arsenal – a sensitive military research facility – as well as near President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in the town of Bedminster, New Jersey.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has since issued temporary flight restrictions prohibiting drone flights over Bedminster and Picatinny.

In nearby New York City, several drones were reported flying over the Bronx on 12 December.

Drones have also been reported in other parts of the state, according to New York State Police.

Runways at New York’s Stewart Airfield shut down for about an hour because of drone activity on Friday 13 December, according to Governor Kathy Hochul.

“This has gone too far,” she said in a statement on Saturday.

Police in Connecticut have also confirmed “suspicious drone activity”. A drone detection system has been deployed around the towns of Groton and New London.

In Maryland, former Republican Governor Larry Hogan said he saw what appeared to be “dozens” of drones over his home in Davidsonville.

He wrote on X. “The public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government.”

In Boston, Massachusetts, two men were arrested on Saturday 14 December following what police called a “hazardous drone operation” near Logan Airport’s airspace on Long Island.

In late November, drones were also spotted over three US airbases in the UK, with British defence sources telling the BBC suspicion had fallen on a “state actor”.

Drones were also reported near the Ramstein US military airbase in Germany in early December.

In October, the Wall Street Journal also reported that mysterious drones were seen for 17 days near US military facilities in Virginia.

In a call with reporters, officials from several US agencies said there was no evidence of any threat to public safety.

“I think there has been a slight overreaction,” an official from the FBI said, emphasising there was no evidence of any threat to public safety.

The homeland security secretary told ABC News on Sunday he knows of “no foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the north-east”.

“And we are vigilant in investigating this matter,” he added.

He added: “If there is any reason for concern, if we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate with the American public accordingly.”

Following a briefing with the Department of Homeland Security on 11 December, New Jersey assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia said the drones appeared to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio.

Fantasia said the aircraft were up to 6ft (1.8m) in diameter, travelling with lights turned off and “operate in a co-ordinated manner”.

Secretary Mayorkas told ABC that an explanation for the uptick in drone sightings could be to do with a change in federal law last year that allowed drones to be flown at night.

“That may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn to dusk,” he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that drones can be flown in most locations below 400ft (121m).

But there are a number of restrictions around where drones can be flown:

• within controlled airspace around an airport without FAA authorisation
• over designated, national security-sensitive facilities
• in certain military bases, infrastructure and national landmarks
• in airspace covered by temporary flight restrictions.

It is unclear who might be operating them.

New Jersey Republican representative Jeff Van Drew said that the drones were coming from an Iranian “mothership” in the Atlantic, while Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi said there was a “non-trivial” chance that China could be involved.

The Pentagon, White House and homeland security department have all insisted that there is no foreign origin for the objects.

In a separate incident across the country, a northern California man was charged on with flying a drone over and taking pictures of Vandenberg Space Force Base, located near Santa Barbara, on 30 November.

The man, 39-year-old Chinese national Yinpiao Zhou was arrested just before he boarded a flight to China.

There has been no suggestion that the incident is related to the spate of drone reports on the east coast.

President-elect Donald Trump has suggested the drones couldn’t be flying without the government’s knowledge.

“Let the public know, and now,” he wrote on his Truth Social media platform. “Otherwise, shoot them down.”

Authorities have warned against shooting down drones as it is illegal.

In a statement, the FAA warned that drone operators who conduct unsafe or dangerous operations could face fines of up to $75,000 (£59,000) and have their drone pilot certificates revoked.

New York State Governor Hochul has called on the federal government to allow states to crack down on the drones.

“Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones,” she wrote in a post on X.