For weeks, people in several states, including California, have reported seeing swarms of drone-like objects flying through the night sky.
Concern over the sightings has reached new highs in recent days, prompting some officials to urge calm.
But there are still many unanswered questions: Why do people seem to be seeing so many drones, and if it’s not common, what’s going on?
Here’s what we know.
Officials downplay concerns
Federal officials said over the weekend that multiple drone sightings over New Jersey and other states “were actually manned aircraft mistaken for drones.”
Officials said in a White House statement on Saturday that there was no evidence of illegal activity or foreign involvement.
“At this time, we have not found any basis to believe that these drones are involved in any criminal activity, present any national security threat, any specific public safety threat, or involve a malicious foreign actor,” the State Department said. stated at a press conference.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy urged the public to “calm down” on Monday morning, stressing that there was “no evidence of anything evil.”
Murphy declined to reveal details of the federal investigation into the sightings, but said there was a “very sophisticated system” in place “with very sophisticated individuals” to figure out what happened.
New Jersey is the epicenter
Reports of drones in the sky have been going on for three weeks. New Jersey, along with some nearby states, has been the center of the sightings.
California has also seen some reports, but far less than the East Coast.
Officials said that on November 18, the New Jersey Suspicious Activity Reporting System received multiple reports of drone operations at night. Two days later, the FBI launched an investigation into the sighting.
As of December 3, the FBI network has established 800 reporting hotlines so that 911 call centers can receive reports about drones in a timely manner. About 5,000 tips have been received through the national whistleblowing hotline, but fewer than 100 leads have been deemed worthy of further investigation.
Through eyewitness observation teams across New Jersey, FBI officials “determined that all reported sightings of large fixed-wing aircraft were manned aircraft.” The sightings also appear to be related to Newark Liberty Airport, John F. Kennedy Airport and Lagua The approach pattern to Dia Airport is consistent.
“This model shows that manned aviation is often mistaken for unmanned aviation or drones,” they said.
DHS officials said they also “determined that there is no evidence to date of any foreign involvement in bringing drones ashore from vessels in the region.”
View from Southern California
Southern California residents are also participating in drone reconnaissance campaigns across the country.
On social media, viral videos from Temecula and Riverside appeared to show a group of glowing objects hovering in the sky.
Damon Angel, a music producer in Temecula, posted multiple videos on Instagram showing what he believed were suspicious lights from the elevated roadway.
In a subsequent video, he expressed hope that his video of the suspicious drone, which has attracted millions of views online, will help draw attention to the issue. Another video from a TikTok user in Riverside claimed that several unidentified objects appeared in the sky.
FAA reminds of drone rules
On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration released drone guidance detailing the use of drones. “More people are using drones, which means more people are noticing drones in the sky,” the FAA guidance reads.
The FAA stresses that it is legal to fly drones in most parts of the United States, day or night, as long as they stay below 400 feet, avoid other aircraft, and do not cause harm to anyone or property.
Two temporary flight restrictions have been implemented at Picatinny Military Base in New Jersey and Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey
The Picatinny Arsenal, which has a limited range of 2 nautical miles and 2,000 feet, expires on December 26.
Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged Congress to pass the Anti-Drone Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, which would update federal authority to investigate and track drones and give state authorities the power to enact their own Powers of the Drone Mitigation Program.
