The base commander of a New Jersey military research center said the mysterious drones flying over the area are not theirs, but confirmed sightings to a local media outlet.
“While the source and cause of these aircraft operating in our area remain unknown, we can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal-related activities,” Lt. Col. Craig Bonham II said in a news release obtained by the Morristown Daily Record.
The local media outlet reported that Picatinny has recorded 11 confirmed sightings overhead since Nov. 13. Another seven reports could either not be confirmed or turned out to be airplanes, Bonham said.
Reports of large drones flying over different parts of the Garden State, including President-elect Trump’s Bedminster golf course and near military research sites, have been on the rise in recent weeks.
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The Federal Aviation Administration first received reports of drone activity Nov. 18 in Morris County, which is nearly 2 miles north of Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Somerset County. The drones have been seen nightly in some areas, and are occasionally reported traveling in groups, Patch reported.
On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced there were dozens of reports of drones on Sunday alone.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that drones flying over New Jersey were not foreign, adding that President Biden has been made aware of the situation, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI are investigating.
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When pressed if the federal government had ruled out that the drones are being controlled by foreign entities, Jean-Pierre promptly responded, “Yeah.”
State officials have said they are taking the mystery drone sightings “seriously,” and Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy posted to X on Thursday that “there is no known threat to the public” at that time.
More recently, drone sightings were also reported on Staten Island.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
