Mysterious drones seen near New Jersey Trump golf course after Gov. Murphy, FBI respond to other sightings

After sightings in northern New Jersey, police departments in South Jersey are now reporting sightings of mysterious drones in the skies.

Police departments in Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, Medford and Evesham Township — all nearby each other — all received complaints about drone activity Thursday night, Evesham police Chief Walt Miller told reporters Friday.

Saturday, reports continued to come in from other South Jersey towns including Voorhees, which shared a community advisory making residents aware of “a recent uptick in suspicious drone activity in our area.” And viewers in Medford, Burlington County and Brick, Ocean County shared that the drone activity had continued overnight Friday into Saturday.

Evesham police shared on social media that members are “aware of the recent surge in drone activity over the township” and “collaborating with state and federal authorities to identify the drone operators and understand the purpose of this activity.”

Troy McNair said he saw a drone several times this week near his home in Clementon, New Jersey – it was hovering over the Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia in Pine Hill, New Jersey.

“It flew by and then it came back, and it just hovered. I said that’s definitely a drone,” McNair said. “I’m just trying to find out if it’s anything nefarious, anything suspicious going on.”

Evesham police are investigating connections to other drone sightings in North Jersey this week, Miller said.

Earlier this week, a police chief in Morris County warned residents of “nefarious” drones seen near critical infrastructure like water reservoirs, electrical transmission lines and police and military installations, CBS News New York reported.

Videos from residents showed the fast-moving flying objects with blinking lights zipping around in the air.

The drone activity in Evesham was first reported around 8 p.m. Thursday when the department received multiple calls. Officers responded to those calls and saw drones in the sky, Miller said, estimating between four to eight were flying over the township. The activity continued until about 11:15 p.m. when the drones moved into Cherry Hill.

Miller described the drones as “very large,” noting “someone described the drones as large as an SUV.” They appear larger than the typical drone one could buy at a consumer electronics store and were able to fly around and stay under control despite heavy winds buffeting the area Thursday night, which prompted a wind advisory from the National Weather Service.

“There’s definitely concern. We do get reports of drone activity, but they’re usually like, ones that you purchase,” Miller said.

“Last night was interesting just because of the wind that was present, one of those small hobbyist drones wouldn’t be able to fly. [The] larger, I guess professional [drone] activity that was out there gave greater concern, especially in their ability to navigate the weather.”

With drones of this size, any area where they land would be pretty conspicuous, he explained.

“They have to be landing somewhere. They’re very large, and I know we’re working with state police and federal authorities to try to figure that out,” Miller added.

“That just says to the amount of electronics that could be on board, the amount of recording of information they can get,” said Bob Pomeroy, who lives in Evesham Township. 

Anyone who spots one of the drones is asked to get a clear picture or video and send that to police. Many of the submitted photos and videos from residents only show the lights on the drone while the body of the flying object is obscured by the lights.

Photos shared by Jersey Coast Emergency News showed a drone flying around in Brick and a group of multiple drones in the sky above Toms River, New Jersey Thursday night.

Gov. Phil Murphy wrote on X Thursday that he had met with state and federal Homeland Security officials, including Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, to discuss the drone activity in North and Central Jersey.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter,” Murphy’s post read. “There is no known threat to the public at this time.”

Anyone with information can call the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI, or submit a tip online here.

We reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has issued flight restrictions, also known as TFRs, over the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster and the Picatinny Arsenal in North Jersey reportedly due to drone activity.

There are no flight restrictions in place in South Jersey at this time, the agency said.

Here is a portion of a statement received from an FAA spokesperson:

We look into all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate when appropriate. Drone operators who conduct unsafe operations that endanger other aircraft or people on the ground could face fines up to $75,000. In addition, we can suspend or revoke drone operators’ pilot certificates.

The agency works with federal and local law enforcement partners to educate them about how to respond to unsafe or unauthorized drone operations.

Ryan Hughes

Ryan Hughes joined CBS News Philadelphia in June 2022. He previously worked at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he’s covered stories ranging from weeks on the Surfside condo collapse, to the impact of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, and the Super Bowl in Miami.