Clusters of unidentified drones spotted in New York and New Jersey

A spate of mysterious drone sightings have been reported in New York and Philadelphia as the FBI continues investigating similar sightings across New Jersey over the past month.

Since mid-November, local residents in several counties in New Jersey have reported seeing clusters of drones – and in recent days, additional drone sightings have been reported in parts of Pennsylvania and New York’s Staten Island.

Local residents in the regions have been capturing and sharing footage online that appears to show drones in the sky.

Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Newark office announced it was actively investigating these sightings and was seeking information from the public.

“Witnesses have spotted the cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed wing aircraft,” the FBI said. “We have reports from the public and law enforcement dating back several weeks.”

While authorities investigate the reports, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has implemented temporary flight restrictions in the areas over Picatinny Arsenal military base and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

The origin of the drones remains unknown. However, state leaders and elected officials have said that they are monitoring the sightings and have assured residents that the drones do not pose any immediate threat to the public.

In a post on social media last week, Phil Murphy, New Jersey’s governor, said that he convened with officials from the Department of Homeland Security as well as local authorities and officials in New Jersey to discuss the reported drone activity.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter,” the governor said. He added: “There is no known threat to the public at this time.”

Last week, an FBI spokesperson told local New Jersey outlet, NJ.com: “Unfortunately, we don’t have many answers, and we don’t want to guess or hypothesize about what’s going on.”

“We are doing all we can to figure it out,” they added.

On Monday, a group of 20 mayors in Morris county, New Jersey, reportedly wrote a letter to the state’s governor requesting a full investigation into the origin and purpose of the drones, according to CBS News, which obtained a copy of the letter.

They also called for improved communication with residents and law enforcement, among other things.

In the letter, the mayors said that they have “deep concern regarding the ongoing nighttime drone flights” and that the drones have “raised significant alarm among the more than 500,000 county residents and local officials alike”.

In response to reports of drones over Staten Island’s airspace, the congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis said she asked the FAA to impose temporary drone flight restrictions in the area and had requested immediate briefings from the homeland security department and FBI.

Two weeks ago, drones flying in New Jersey reportedly prevented a medical helicopter from picking up an injured individual after a car crash, according to USA Today.

The police chief of Florham Park, New Jersey, Joseph Orlando, said in a statement on social media last week that several drone sightings had been reported above “critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments and military installations.

“Members of the local law enforcement community have been pressuring our partners for answers regarding this activity as their presence around our critical infrastructure is concerning,” the statement reads. “While we currently have no evidence or information to indicate these drones pose an imminent threat at this time, their presence appears nefarious in nature.”

In the statement, authorities urged all residents to remain vigilant and report any drone sightings directly to the FBI.