From Mayor Ryan Herd, Pequannock
Critical Update on the Mysterious Drone Activity
Today, I attended an in-person briefing in Ewing with representatives of the NJ State Police and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. While the meeting provided some insights, it also raised more alarming questions. Here are the key takeaways:
• Congressman Chris Smith from South Jersey reported drones following Coast Guard ships. The Coast Guard witnessed 50 drones flying from the ocean to land and back.
• No known credible threat, according to the NJ Office of Homeland Security, but the situation remains unresolved.
• State Police have been investigating for three weeks:
• First sighting: November 18th
• Last night: 4 sightings
• Night before: 180 sightings
• The drones:
• Fly for 6-7 hours at night.
• No RF signals, so they can’t be detected.
• Lights shut off when approached.
• No daytime sightings reported.
• State Police lack the authority to take them down—only federal agencies can act.
I asked the tough questions:
Can you confirm these drones have nothing to do with the U.S. military? They said yes.
Can you confirm these drones aren’t tied to large tech companies like Google, Amazon, or Elon Musk? They said yes.
Are you telling me that in this day and age, drones of this size can fly over us and we have no idea who they belong to, where they’re taking off from, or what their purpose is? They said we don’t know.
Adding insult to injury, Governor Phil Murphy didn’t even attend the meeting. We’re dealing with unidentified drones entering our airspace, and our state leader doesn’t show up to address it.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the mere presence of missiles 100 miles from our shores brought us to the brink of war. Yet today, drones can hover over our neighborhoods, and we remain complacent. This generational gap in recognizing threats is alarming.
If these drones’ payloads were to change, our lives could change instantly. This is a wake-up call that we cannot afford to ignore.
We must demand answers. The safety and security of our community depend on it. If you have any information or footage, call 18664SAFENJ to report it.