A Statement from Mayor Dempsey on Drone Sightings in New Jersey

On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, Chatham Borough Mayor Carolyn Dempsey, along with fellow mayors across the state, attended a briefing at the New Jersey Regional Operations & Intelligence Center in Ewing, NJ, concerning the drone sightings which have occurred recently throughout New Jersey. The briefing was led by New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness Director Laurie R. Duran, and Brent Cotton, Director, C-UAS PMO, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

In order to address this issue locally, CBPD Chief Brian Gibbons and Lieutenant Rick Jaremba presented at the regular meeting of the Mayor and Council on December 9. Chief Gibbons' presentation covered much of the same information as was presented on Wednesday in Ewing and can be viewed here.

Main takeaways from both presentations are:

• Who is flying these drones, where they are taking off, where they are landing, and their purpose is still unknown. 
• According to the FBI, the lead agency investigating, there is still no known credible threat. DHS has authorized increased resources for detecting and tracking these drones, and there is cooperation at every level of state and federal government.
• The drones are not being operated by any federal or state agency or the military.
• Drone sightings in NJ were first reported on November 18 and have been reported every day since, except Thanksgiving. All reported sightings have taken place at night.
• Drones are governed by the FAA and are legal to fly, day or night. Most drone sightings that have been reported have occurred in unrestricted airspace.
• Tracking these drones has presented a challenge to investigators as they do not emit radio signals, fly long distances and turn their lights off when approached by helicopters.
• Reports that the drones are being launched at sea, are carrying bioweapons, are being sent by Iran, among other theories, are not credible. 
• Shooting down of drones is dangerous and illegal. Again, drone flights are legal and should only be reported if dangerous or suspicious drone behavior is observed. Call 1-866-4safeNJ to report such behavior. Drone sightings can also be reported by contacting the FBI here https://tips.fbi.gov/home.

Chatham Borough is committed to keeping our residents safe and informed on this issue. We will communicate any updates we may receive. For additional information, see this FAQ sheet issued by the Department of Homeland Security:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OaF-R4cxBcR3gYTeJLB2Pa71MuNQSj-_/view

Joint DHS/FBI Statement on Reports of Drones in New Jersey

PRINTABLE STATEMENT