Mysterious drones in the US alarm locals, confuse the authorities

EDGEWATER: A rash of unexplained drone sightings in the skies above New Jersey has left locals rattled and prompted US officials to seek answers.

Breathless local news has fueled anxious sky-watching and wild speculation – interspersed with blurry, dark clips from social media of angry locals calling for action.

For weeks, the distinctive flashing lights and spinning rotors of large unmanned aerial vehicles have been spotted across the state west of New York.

But the military, elected representatives and researchers have been unable to explain the recurring UFO phenomenon.

Sam Lugo, 23, who works at the Club Studio gym in Bergen County, New Jersey, one of the corners of the state that has seen many drone sightings, called the reports “crazy.”

“It’s very disturbing that they saw … without explanation. It can be disturbing,” he said.

Officials, including the governor, have urged people not to worry, but have yet to provide an explanation for the flight activity.

“I’ve seen them every night since Thanksgiving, they’re smaller than my Jeep,” wrote X user Gus Seretis.

“They hover almost at tree height or a little higher,” he added, describing them as aircraft too small to pilot and vowing to “shoot one if it gets low enough.”

New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith wrote to the Pentagon on Tuesday demanding answers.

“There have been numerous instances of unmanned aerial systems flying over New Jersey, including in close proximity to sensitive sites and critical infrastructure, to include military installations located in my area,” he wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“to be kidnapped”

Smith said he was told more than a dozen drones stalked a Coast Guard lifeboat over the weekend.

The lawmaker then spent “hours” watching the night sky with the Ocean County Sheriff, tracking down some onlookers, according to his office.

The Pentagon, the nerve center of the US military, insists the objects are not “US military drones”.

“Our initial assessment is that this is not the work of a foreign adversary or a foreign entity,” Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said.

Singh also dismissed claims by Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew on Fox News that Washington’s nemesis Tehran is behind the spate of sightings.

“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there is no so-called mother ship launching drones toward the United States,” he said.

Joseph Boutros, 21, of New Jersey, said he had seen the reports of drone activity on social media. “But I haven’t seen them myself,” he said.

“It’s not something I’m concerned about as long as they don’t carry guns,” said the suited native as he picked up food from a Bergen County mall as night fell.

In the cloudy skies above, the only aerial vehicles with flashing lights were passenger jets approaching Newark, New Jersey Airport.

the FBI said AFP was aware of the sightings “in multiple locations over the last few weeks” and said it was working with other agencies on the matter.

However, the agency did not confirm reports of a crisis meeting between various government agencies over the growing concern.

Drones are permitted for both business applications and recreational use, but are regulated by Federal Aviation Administration rules.

Witnesses stress that the unexplained aerial objects are larger than those commonly used by drone enthusiasts.

“I don’t want to get kidnapped or anything,” Lugo said with a smile.