New Jersey drone wave
- Date
- 18 Nov 2024
- Place
- Morris County and across New Jersey, with reports in New York and neighbouring states, United States
- Record
- Curated case
- Assessment
- Explained
- Evidence strength
What was reported
From mid-November 2024, thousands of residents and many police officers reported large drones or lights at night, including near Picatinny Arsenal and the President-elect's Bedminster club; the FAA issued temporary flight restrictions and the FBI opened an inquiry. A joint DHS, FBI, FAA and DoD statement of 17 December said review of more than 5,000 reports found nothing anomalous and no security threat, and that sightings were lawful drones, manned aircraft and stars; in January 2025 the White House said the drones had been authorised by the FAA for research and other purposes. A later public-records release of about 13,000 police documents is cited by researchers who argue that some activity over sensitive sites was never accounted for. A private sensor network deployed during the wave reported most objects conventional and a few unexplained.
What officials concluded
Resolved
DHS, FBI, FAA and DoD (17 December 2024): lawful drones, manned aircraft and stars; nothing anomalous
Strongest ordinary reading
Authorised and hobby drones, aircraft and stars, amplified by public alarm
Evidence profile
- Yes: Visual
- No: Infrared
- No: Radar
- Yes: Video
- Yes: Photo
- No: Film
- No: Audio
- No: Night vision
- No: Other sensor
- Yes: Civilian
- No: Military aircrew
- No: Military ground
- No: Airline crew
- No: Sensor operator
- Yes: Law enforcement
- No: Scientist
- No: Astronaut
- No: Intelligence official
- No: Other
- Yes: Light only
- No: Orb or sphere
- No: Disc
- No: Triangle
- No: Cylinder
- No: Cube
- No: Other shape
- No: Physiological
- No: Physical trace
- No: Electromagnetic
- No: Sound
- No: Silent
Videos that discuss it
Claims and verdicts
- Unverified
During the late-2024 New Jersey/East Coast 'drone' sightings, Skywatcher deployed sensors and found the large majority of observed drones were conventional/hobbyist, but some objects moved anomalously; some drones reportedly entered from and returned to the ocean, trailing US Coast Guard boats for miles.
when you have drones coming in from the ocean... and then returning to the ocean... and trailing Coast Guard boats for miles that's not hobbyist drones
- Unverified
Regarding 2024-25 mystery drone sightings (New Jersey, the Midwest, Denmark/Scandinavia), none of Kean's insider sources believe they represent alien spacecraft, but they also do not rule out that some UAP could be 'mixed in' with mundane drone activity; the phenomenon remains officially unexplained.
None of the insiders have told me that they believe that they're UAP... but they don't know either. They're not ruling that out.
Outside sources
- Joint DHS/FBI/FAA/DoD statementfaa.gov
- Wikipedia: 2024 United States drone sightingsen.wikipedia.org
On the map
40.86° N, 74.55° W, plotted at the centre of the region named in the record
Show on the map
