What’s happening in North Jersey’s skies?
No one is sure – or at least they’re not saying, Save Jerseyans – but recent days have witnessed a strange uptick in drone activity in Morris and Somerset counties. One NBC News report pegged the flying objects as the size of “small-car sized drones.”
“We’re all completely unnerved,” one Morris County resident explained to NBC. “When I would get up and look out my window at 2 a.m, 4 a.m, they were still hovering. I got up at 5:30 this morning and they were still there as the sun was starting to rise. They went back in the same direction they came from, and I expect they’ll be back as soon as the sun goes down tonight.”
Here’s one video shared by former Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, also of Morris County:
The prosecutors in Morris County and Somerset County released a joint statement on Tuesday which further explains that they’re working with the FBI to investigate the activity:
Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Morris County Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Somerset County Chief of Detectives Francisco Roman, Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, Morris Plains Police Chief / Morris County Police Chiefs Association President Michael Koroski, Somerset County Chiefs of Police Association President/Hillsborough Township Police Chief Michael McMahon and the Morris and Somerset County Offices of Emergency Management issue a joint public statement on recent drone activity observed in Morris County:
County and local law enforcement agencies are aware of the recurring reports of drone activity around Morris and Somerset counties, and acknowledge the public’s concern about these repeated sightings.
The subject County Prosecutor’s, Sheriff’s and Emergency Management Offices, our respective municipal police departments, working in close cooperation with the FBI-Newark, New Jersey State Police and New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness partners, seek to reassure the public that we will continue to monitor and investigate the drone activity.
There continues to be no known threat to public safety.
The FBI – Newark and the NJ State Police are asking for the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones. Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit it online at tips.fbi.gov. Citizens can also upload videos through the latter website.
For more on drones, better known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), visit the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness website.
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