Drones have been spotted circling houses and neighborhoods in New Jersey. As it seems, no one knows why they’re here or who they belong to, but since November 18, they have been taking over the skies.
These car-sized figures adhere to the Federal Aviation Administration’s lighting regulations, which has given the illusions typical of an aircraft. Therefore, it’s hard to interpret whether you’re seeing a plane or drone.
Concerned residents have been reporting their sightings all over TikTok. Despite the calls of concern from citizens, the FBI has no answers. Over the past couple of weeks, police officers and the FBI have teamed up to find answers, yet nothing has come through to the public. Tammy Mangano, a Harrington Park resident, recently spoke with a police officer of Old Tappan: “He told me that they had a meeting with homeland security and they also have no idea where these drones are coming from.”
Causing even more fear is the fact that these drones are showing up mainly at night. All over TikTok, residents of New Jersey, have made their way outside to spot these devices at night. Many have even reported seeing these drones late into the night, even at 2 am.
While the drones made their first appearances in New Jersey, they have started to spread throughout the northeast to New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Even students of NVOT have seen drones far from their home state. Sophomore Ava DeAngelo said that she even spotted one at night “in New York, when I was driving over the [George Washington] Bridge.”
A viral video of an interview with the FBI shows a lack of knowledge on the situation. Robert Wheeler Jr., FBI Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group, said, “We do not attribute [the drones] to an individual or a group yet. We’re investigating, but I don’t have an answer of who’s responsible for [the drones].” The interview, which aired on CBS News, has raised more questions for citizens, as skepticism and uncertainty continues to rise.
Even amongst our nation’s leadership, that skepticism and uncertainty can be seen. President Elect Donald Trump said in an interview, “Our military knows, and our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense. Something strange is going on and for some reason they don’t want to tell the people. And they should.” However, following this response, John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, made clear that the government is not “obfuscating” or hiding any information.
Speculations about where the drones are coming from are spreading throughout the United States. No one–including the government–knows what is going on. As of right now, they are nothing but drones, taking over the skies.