Jenna Calderón and Lisa Robyn Kruse 

More than a dozen drones followed a 47-foot Coast Guard boat Sunday night, while law enforcement tracked another 50 drones coming onto land from the ocean at Island State Park, Rep. Chris Smith said.

Meanwhile, an FBI assistant director admitted that the agency doesn’t know who is behind the unidentified drones that are flying over New Jersey.

Authorities did confirm that the drones are not coming from local military bases.

The mystery of the unidentified drones deepened Tuesday, as federal officials admitted during a congressional hearing that despite repeated assurances from Gov. Murphy and other public officials, they can’t say definitively whether the drones pose a threat.

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“There is nothing known that would lead me to say that but we just don’t know and that’s the concerning part,” Robert Wheeler, assistant FBI director, said during the congressional hearing.

Rep. Christopher Smith said during the hearing, and in an interview on Fox News, that he went drone-hunting at Island Beach State Park on Monday with Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy. He said they went to that beach because the night before, a law enforcement officer had counted 50 drones coming in from the ocean onto land.

In addition, he said that he was told by a Coast Guard official that one of their 47-foot ships in the ocean was trailed by 12 to 30 drones.

“I think this is a very serious threat,” Smith said.

He added that when he asked officials at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst why they couldn’t shoot down the drones, he was told they don’t have the authority to do so. Smith urged officials at the hearing to grant military authorization to shoot down the drones so that their identity and capability could be ascertained.

During the congressional hearing, Wheeler said that the FBI doesn’t know the people responsible for the drones that have blanketed New Jersey in recent weeks.

Wheeler said that based on verified eyewitness reports, some of the drones are larger than commercial drones, and are both rotary and fixed-wing craft.

Drones are not military

Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle said they are not responsible for the recent scattering of devices in the sky, continuing confusion surrounding the mysterious objects.

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst did not immediately respond for comment.

Since receiving initial reports of the sightings a few weeks ago, Picatinny Arsenal officials immediately began investigating and increased outreach and coordination with several local, state and federal partner organizations to obtain more information, Lt. Col. Craig A. Bonham II, Picatinny Arsenal Garrison Commander, said.

"While the source and cause of these aircraft operating in our area remain unknown, we can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal-related activities,” Bonham said.

MORE: Mystery drones sighted in Monmouth, Ocean counties: Cops

New Jersey has witnessed a startling number of drones since mid-to-late November. The unidentified drone sightings have also been reported in Bergen, Esssex, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Somerset, and Warren counties. Some eyewitnesses have reported seeing “car-sized” objects that appear to rise in the sky as the sun sets. They have been hovering over reservoirs, military installations and critical infrastructure.

In a joint statement on Dec. 3, the FBI, State Police and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness said authorities were asking the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there are security restrictions over Bedminster from December 6 to 20, as well as over Picatinny Arsenal since November 25.

This article was originally published in the Asbury Park Press on Dec. 10, 2024 and can be found online at:
https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2024/12/10/50-nj-drones-came-in-from-ocean-12-trailed-coast-guard-ship-congressman-fbi-admits-dont-know-origin/76893631007/