New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the enigmatic drones circling the skies above his state are “very sophisticated,” noting that “the minute you get your eyes on them, they go dark” — but promised residents that the devices are not a threat to public safety.
Murphy acknowledged frustrations over the mysterious sightings during a Monday press conference, noting there were 49 reported sightings just on Sunday, primarily in Hunterdon County, Newsweek reported.
“The most important point to say is we don’t see any concern for public safety,” Murphy said, adding that local, state and federal authorities were investigating the unusual recurrence.
According to Murphy, the drones, which have been popping up across the Garden State and New York over the last month, are very high-tech, making it hard for authorities to track them and determine their origin.
“These are apparently very, as I understand it, very sophisticated. The minute you get eyes on them, they go dark,” Murphy said.
The spate of sightings across the tri-state area has raised alarms among residents — many of whom in recent weeks have filmed and shared countless videos of the unidentified aircraft to social media — sending local officials scrambling in their search for answers.
Murphy told residents last week that authorities, including the FBI and Homeland Security, were investigating even as drones continue popping up over homes, neighborhoods and military installations across the state.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, footage emerged of blinking drone lights “pacing back and forth” above Bergan County.
“It doesn’t sound like a plane … no, no, it’s too quiet. That’s a drone,” the woman who filmed the recent footage says, adding that she counted five or six flying machines hovering overhead.
New Jersey State Police and the state Office of Homeland Security will hold a briefing Wednesday to provide additional information on the investigation, though the meeting will be closed to the public and reporters, according to CBS.
