The mysterious drones spotted over parts of New Jersey in the past two weeks don’t appear to pose a threat to the public, Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter,” the governor wrote on social media, breaking his silence on the reported sightings of what appeared to be clusters of large drones in nearly a dozen counties.
Murphy’s statement came a day after he had a briefing call with New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, senior officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“There is no known threat to the public at this time,” Murphy said.
The mysterious drones, first reported on Nov. 18, have reportedly kept a medical helicopter from taking a patient to a hospital in Somerset County. The sightings have also sparked a federal investigation, especially given their proximity to a military base and President-elect Donald Trump’s National Golf Club in Bedminster.
Earlier this week, FBI spokeswoman Amy J. Thoreson said federal investigators were asking the public to report any information related to the recent sightings.
“Witnesses have spotted the cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed-wing aircraft,” Thoreson said, adding investigators have received reports from the public and law enforcement “dating back several weeks.”
As a result of the investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily closed air space to drones in the area.
Drone flights over Trump’s golf course are prohibited through Friday night, while the area over Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, will be under restriction orders through Dec. 26.
On Tuesday, law enforcement officials in Morris and Somerset counties issued a joint statement saying they were “aware of the recurring reports of drone activity” and acknowledging “the public’s concern about these repeated sightings.”
There was still “no known threat to public safety,” the statement noted.
