A Navy weapons station in New Jersey confirmed there have been “multiple” instances of drones entering its airspace as the mystery deepens over the origin of the flying devices.
Naval Weapons Station Earle, located in Colts Neck, New Jersey, said it has encountered some of the enigmatic drones patrolling local skies in recent weeks without issue.
“While no direct threats to the installation have been identified, we can confirm multiple instances of unidentified drones entering the airspace above Naval Weapons Station Earle,” Bill Addison, public affairs officer for the naval station, told The Post.
He said the base “remains prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities.”
The Naval base did not say when the incidents occurred.
Residents in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut have been reporting seeing the large drones hovering overhead.
In Monmouth County, where Weapons Station Earle is located, the sheriff has released a heatmap of reported drone sightings from just the past few days alone — covering a chunk of the central Jersey county’s nearly 700 square miles.
The map shows numerous sightings in the vicinity of the base.
Here’s what we know about the mystery drones hovering over the East Coast
- The drones first made headlines after a medical helicopter was forced to turn around.
- The Biden administration brushed off the drones, claiming most sightings were planes and helicopters mistaken for drones.
- NJ Rep. Jeff Van Drew suggested the drones were coming from an Iranian mothership.
- The Pentagon denied the drones were from Iran or any other adversary.
- A heat map shows the staggering number of sightings over one NJ county.
- Experts say there are only a few possible explanations for the drone sightings.
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden requested a state of emergency be declared so that drastic measures can be taken to address the phenomenon.
The lack of answers about the drones from federal authorities has left New Jerseyans and lawmakers enraged.
Across the Garden State, there have been at least 3,000-plus reports of drone sightings since they first were spotted around Nov. 18.
Gov. Phil Murphy joined federal officials in claiming there is no cause for alarm, despite the drones’ origin still a mystery.
On Friday, the governor penned a letter to President Biden requested additional resources “to fully understand what is behind this activity.”
“I respectfully urge you to continue to direct the federal agencies involved to work together until they uncover answers as to what is behind the UAS sightings,” he said.
The White House downplayed residents’ concerns on Thursday, telling reporters federal officials “have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus.”