As the appearance of mysterious drones continues to confound law enforcement, Newsweek has mapped the places where they’ve been spotted the most.
In November, New Jersey residents began reporting drone sightings, with the phenomenon recently expanding to New York. On Tuesday, New Jersey Representative Chris Smith said a law enforcement officer had seen “50 drones coming off the ocean” two nights prior.
Smith also told Congress that on one occasion, the state’s Coast Guard was followed by a fleet of drones while they were on the water.
He said: “Last night, we had a number of other people here, including a commanding officer from the Coast Guard, who said that one of their 47-foot motor lifeboats was followed by between 12 and 30 of these drones as they went through the water. Followed, right behind them!”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy confirmed that on Sunday there were almost 50 reported drone sightings across the state. He told residents he was taking the incidents “deadly seriously.”
Sightings have been reported in three states along the East Coast: New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The greatest number has occurred in the Garden State, where drones have been spotted in more than five counties.
In December, New York residents began reporting drone sightings, with the devices spotted in Brooklyn and parts of Staten Island. On Sunday, Brooklyn residents reported seeing up to 12 drones near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Mysterious drones were also spotted in eastern Pennsylvania, with Philadelphia residents reporting similar sightings.
Newsweek has contacted the FBI via email for an update regarding its investigation into the drones.
The agency has not identified the source or nature of the devices, with Robert Wheeler Jr., the assistant director of the FBI’s critical incident response group, telling Congress on Tuesday: “We do not attribute [the sightings] to an individual or a group yet. We’re actively investigating, enlisting the help of the inter-agency [task force] and the public.”
When asked if there was a threat to public safety, Wheeler replied, “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know, and that’s the concerning part.”
He added, “We’re actively investigating and would like to answer those questions, but I don’t have a better answer.”
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