The mystery continues to swirl after nearly a month of drone sightings over New Jersey, sparking fear among residents and fierce debate about what the flying objects are — and whether they are drones at all.
US authorities were unable to provide a definitive answer, saying only that the items were not believed to pose a danger to the public or national security.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that available imagery indicates that many of the reported drone sightings were actually manned aircraft.
But some lawmakers criticized the government’s handling of drones and the lack of information available to the public.
Here’s what we know.
Where have drones been spotted?
Since Nov. 18, dozens of drone sightings have been reported over New Jersey, according to local authorities.
The drones were initially spotted near the Raritan River, a waterway that feeds into the Round Valley Reservoir, New Jersey’s largest, the AP reported.
Sightings soon spread to other parts of the state, including the New Jersey coast.
Some of the flights were recorded near the Picatinny Arsenal – a sensitive military research facility – as well as near President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
In nearby New York, several drones were reported flying over the Bronx on December 12, a police official told CBS News, the BBC’s US affiliate.
Officers who responded to the incident saw the drones flying overhead, but they disappeared soon after.
Drones have also been reported in other parts of the state, according to New York State Police.
Police in Connecticut also confirmed that there was “suspicious drone activity” in various parts of the state. A drone detection system has been deployed around Groton and New London.
In Maryland, former Republican governor Larry Hogan claimed to have seen what appeared to be “dozens” of drones over his residence in Davidsonville, about 40 km from Washington DC.
“Like many who have observed these drones, I do not know if this increasing activity over our skies is a threat to public safety or national security,” he wrote on X. “However, the public is increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and dismissive attitude of the federal government”.
In late November, the US Air Force also confirmed that unidentified drones had been spotted over three US air bases in the UK: RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk.
British defense sources told the BBC that suspicion had fallen on a “state actor” responsible for the incursions.
In October, the Wall Street Journal also reported that mysterious drones were seen near US military installations in Virginia for 17 days.
What are these flying objects?
Both federal and state authorities have said they do not believe the drones are dangerous or pose a threat to US national security.
After a briefing with the Department of Homeland Security on Dec. 11, New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia said the drones appear to evade detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio.
Fantasia said the drones are up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter, travel with their lights off and “operate in coordination.”
Her comments are in stark contrast to the White House, which suggested they were “manned aircraft”.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security also said most of the sightings appeared to be legal manned flights.
None were reported in restricted airspace, the statement added.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a statement Friday saying more people are using drones, which means more people are noticing them in the sky.
He added that while drones can be flown in most places below 400 feet (121 m), drones cannot be flown in controlled airspace around an airport without FAA permission; over designated facilities sensitive to national security; in some military bases, infrastructure and national monuments; and in airspace subject to temporary flight restrictions.
Where do they come from?
If they are confirmed to be drones — which is unconfirmed at this point — it’s unclear who might be operating them.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, Republican of New Jersey, cited anonymous “senior sources” as saying they came from an Iranian “mothership” in the Atlantic.
The Pentagon quickly dismissed the comment, saying there was “no truth to it.”
“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there is no so-called mother ship launching drones toward the United States,” deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.
Another lawmaker, Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, who sits on a congressional committee that deals with the Chinese Communist Party, told NewsNation that there was a “non-trivial” chance that China could be involved.
“It’s certainly a possibility, and the likelihood that they will then have access to the data that these drones are collecting is very high,” he said.
Both the Pentagon and the White House insisted that the objects were not of foreign origin.
Van Drew and other lawmakers rejected those denials.
“Here’s the deal: They don’t know what it is. They don’t know what it’s about,” Van Drew told Fox News. “They have no idea where it’s coming from, but they know what it’s not about? That’s nonsense.”
In a separate incident across the country, a Northern California man was charged Dec. 11 with flying a drone over and taking pictures of Vandenberg Space Station, located near Santa Barbara.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the incident should have happened on November 30.
The man, 39-year-old Chinese national Yinpiao Zhou, was arrested just before he boarded a flight to China. He appeared in court on Tuesday and no charges were entered.
There is no indication that the incident is related to the number of reported drone sightings on the East Coast.
Can drones be stopped?
Several lawmakers have proposed that the drones be shot down and analyzed to determine their origins and intentions.
Among them is President-elect Donald Trump, who suggested on his Truth Social Media platform that drones could not fly without the government’s knowledge.
“Let the public know now,” he wrote. “Otherwise shoot them down.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration has also imposed temporary flight restrictions banning drone flights over Bedminster and Picatinny.
The FAA also warned in a statement that drone operators who conduct unsafe or unsafe operations could face fines of up to $75,000 (£59,000) and have their drone pilot certificates revoked.
In a letter to US President Joe Biden released on December 13, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy urged federal authorities to “work together” to solve the mystery, as well as press Congress to extend counter-drone capabilities to local law enforcement.
Some residents have suggested they may take action against the drones themselves – something authorities have strongly warned against because it is illegal.
“A good shotgun will solve this problem,” a man commented on a video of a drone on a social network.