Heightened drone activity over New Jersey communities has begun to raise alarms at state and federal levels, with the FBI now involved following the disruption of a medevac operation.
At a Glance
- Mysterious drones hindered a medevac helicopter in Somerset County.
- FBI investigates the purpose and origin of these larger drones.
- FAA issued temporary flight restrictions over affected areas.
- Officials are looking for public assistance to identify the drones.
- No immediate threats have been identified, but concerns remain.
Unexplained Drone Interference
Mystery drones on November 26 prevented a medevac helicopter from carrying out a lifesaving mission in Somerset County, New Jersey. The FBI, now investigating, is trying to determine the drones’ origins and their objectives. These drones, much larger than the usual recreational type, have notably hovered over sensitive locations such as military installations and the Bedminster golf course, owned by Donald Trump.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has imposed a temporary ban on drone operations around Trump’s Bedminster property. Though no immediate threats are indicated, the authorities aim to prevent further occurrences as investigations proceed.
Mystery drones block medevac from landing at N.J. MVChttps://t.co/8b8MNXkk9E FBI has begun investigating the drone sightings over Morris and Somerset counties. Flying drones over emergency scenes can have serious impacts on patients and other responders.
— Emergency Management Group Inc. (@EmergMgt) December 4, 2024
A Widespread Phenomenon
Since mid-November, drone sightings have proliferated across several New Jersey counties, including Morris, Somerset, Warren, and Sussex, with flying reports dating back several weeks. These unmanned aerial vehicles have been spotted both in solitary flight and in groups. The motives remain unclear, although speculation varies from benign to potentially criminal or military in nature.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have many answers, and we don’t want to guess or hypothesize about what’s going on.” – FBI spokeswoman Amy J. Thoreson
The authorities urge the public to assist by providing eyewitness accounts and high-resolution photos, as they strive to piece together more information. Current strategies include grassroots coordination to mitigate potential dangers until more is known.
Amid a string of unexplained night-time drone flights over Northern New Jersey, a medevac helicopter was unable to pick up a seriously injured patient last week due to drones hovering near the landing zone, a security official tells @tinakelley.https://t.co/eEvAvjLzjl
— Shlomo Schorr (@OneJerseySchorr) December 4, 2024
Securing New Jersey’s Airspace
Both the FBI and federal aviation authorities are coordinating efforts to address this pressing concern over New Jersey’s skies. The Pentagon has also been aware of and planning for these kinds of drone complications, especially near critical military and civil infrastructure.
Government spokespeople assure that despite the uncertainty, there is no “known threat to public safety”. The information being gathered will be crucial in determining preventive measures for future drone intervention.
Sources:
- Mysterious drones over N.J. block medevac helicopter rescue: report
- More mystery drones spotted over N.J. Here’s what we know.
- Mystery drones kept helicopter from taking patient to N.J. hospital, college says
